Cold Rivalry
by WickedgreenPhantom
Summary: Elsa Blanchard is Daddy's perfect little girl,all work& no play. Groomed to take over as CEO of the family's million dollar Ice cream store empire. Jack Frost is the fun-loving nephew being raised by his Uncle, the CEO of the Blanchard family's biggest rivals. What happens when Jack manages to steal Elsa's heart?. Can there be a happy ending or will old rivalries get in the way?
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

Elsa yawned. Her eyes fell on the small digital clock which told her that it was 10pm. Furrowing her brows, she realised that she had spent most of the weekend hunched over her computer finishing assignments. Pushing her chair back, she stood up and stretched. The sound of her stomach as it emitted a low growl startled her and drew her attention back to the fact that she had hardly had time to eat. It seemed that her body had decided enough was enough. She needed to eat.

Entering the kitchen, she was greeted by the sight of her younger sister, Anna, furiously smashing a chocolate bar into a bowl filled with chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrup. She stifled a laugh as she noticed the fresh mug of hot chocolate which was already placed on the table. Anna's love of chocolate was legendary. As a child, Elsa had soon learnt that she could get her sister to do pretty much anything she wanted simply by bribing her with the sweet treat. Knowing this had resulted in her trading off several chores to Anna in return for chocolate. However, it had also meant that she had lost a few too many Easter eggs prematurely due to Anna's cravings.

"You know, one of these days you're going to surprise us all and choose something other than chocolate," Elsa joked, reaching for a bowl.

"Never going to happen," sang Anna, poking her tongue out at Elsa.

Elsa laughed. "You never know. You're only eighteen. You have your whole life ahead of you," she reasoned, scooping some of the chocolate ice cream into her own bowl.

She watched as her sister scooped her bowl up and carried it over to the table. "I know what I love, Elsa. After eighteen years, I can say, without a doubt, that my love is chocolate," she stated honestly.

Grinning, Elsa carried her own bowl of ice cream and settled herself on the seat opposite Anna. She loved these little moments with her sister. The two of them had been close as children, but as the years had gone by, they had inevitably drifted apart. Most of it could be put down to her hectic lifestyle. Her life consisted of studying, working in the family business and accompanying her father to business events which left her with little free time. It was a tiring life, but by accepting it she had at least ensured that her beloved sister could enjoy a more relaxed life.

Sneaking a glance at her sister, she couldn't help but laugh. Her sister's love of chocolate had made its way to her clothing with a few new stains already taking up residence on her pyjama top.

She was just about to inquire about Anna's weekend and the party that she had attended, when their father, Walt Blanchard, strode in. A frown appearing on his face as his eyes zeroed in on her.

"Elsa, what are you doing eating ice cream this late at night? Haven't you got better things to do with your time?" he asked, crossing his arms as his eyes stared down at her.

Gulping, she dropped the spoon. "I err finished all my assignments. I haven't had much to eat this weekend, so I thought a break would be okay," she stammered.

Walt sighed. "What about revision? Or collecting notes for revision. It's never too early to start going over your notes, Elsa. You don't want to be behind when it comes closer to exam time," he stated. "You can't risk your grades dropping."

"I know, Daddy," she apologised.

Getting up, she scooped the last of her ice cream into Anna's bowl. She caught Anna glancing between her and their father with a frown on her face. "I'll see you later, Anna," she said, giving her a bleak smile.

"Bye…" Anna's voice trailed off.

Slowly she trudged up the stairs and into her room. She pulled her pyjamas out and quickly changed into them, leaving her track-pants and singlet top in the clothes hamper for washing. She was just about to pull back the covers of her bed and climb in when a knock at the door sounded. Frowning, she padded over to her door and opened it. She felt her spirit drop as her father brushed past her to lean against her desk.

"I just wanted to check on you," he began. "I know that you and think I'm too hard on you, but I do it for your own good, Elsa. We live in a competitive world. You, my dear, are lucky in that you get to step into a good job right out of university. However, it still requires you to make a few small sacrifices. You may think that you're missing out, but trust me, it will be worth it."

Elsa nodded. She didn't know what to say, so she busied herself with packing her bag ready for the next morning. She heard the sound of her father clearing his throat before he turned and bid her good night.

Elsa felt her shoulders slump. She knew her father meant well and that he cared about her future. Walt Blanchard had worked hard through all university to establish Kingdom Ice Creamery, an old-fashioned diner style ice cream business which offered a variety of ice cream flavours and sweet treats all served in a cozy '50's style setting. The business had flourished into an empire with stores all over the country. As the eldest, Elsa, was expected to finish her Bachelor of Business (Management) degree and work in the corporate side of the business where she would eventually take over as CEO.

She also knew that her father was under a lot of pressure at work. A new business, Guardian Ice Blast, had entered the scene in recent years. The CEO, Nicholas North, was a former acquaintance of her father and from what she'd heard, there was bad blood between the two men. The two companies, while both dealing with ice cream, couldn't be more different in their approach. Guardian's was a younger business with trendy music playing in it's stores, all mixed by their very own DJ. They offered free wi-fi, a wider variety of flavours and appealed to the younger, 'trendier' crowd. They had also been the first company to make use of the cutting edge Liquid Nitrogen ice cream which had earned them a lot of media attention.

The sound of a loud crash, followed by an even louder curse word, coming from Anna's room next door interrupted her thoughts. Perking her head up, she stifled a laugh. Knowing the mess that was her sister's room, it was entirely possible that Anna had tripped over one of the items of clothing which littered her bedroom floor.

Grabbing her iPhone, Elsa decided to do a quick check of Facebook while she lay in bed. Tapping onto the website, she let out a small snort. Her father's influence had even found its way into her online presence. Most of her 'friends' were either business associates of her father's, or family members. She hadn't even wanted to create a profile, but her father had insisted. He had claimed that in today's world, social media was crucial to staying on top of the business game. Therefore, he had decided that it was her job to run the business' Facebook page and to give it a fresh, youthful perspective. His level of control had even extended to her own personal account. The number of work related 'friends' she had, was enough for her father to decide that he had the right to oversee all of her posts. As a result, there was no rant-filled posts, no overly emotional or controversial posts and no photo's allowed unless they were poised, classy shots.

She skimmed through her news-feed until she had come across some photo's of Anna and their cousin, Rapunzel, from the party that they had attended the night before. Smiling, she flicked through the various images. Most of them seemed to focus on the two girls dancing, or crowding around chocolate fondue fountain, their plates piled high with fruit. There was also a photo of Anna gazing adoringly at a rather pretentious looking young man with thick auburn hair and the largest sideburns she had ever seen.

Yawning, she clicked to exit the site and set the alarm for the next morning. She replaced the phone back on her dock and rolled over.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

The sound of her alarm woke Elsa from her slumber. Yawning, she stood up and stretched. She glanced out the window and noticed that the weather man had been right when he had predicted more snow. A new dumping of the cold, white powder had blanketed her street.

Sighing, she grabbed her robe and padded across to the bathroom, managing to get in and claim the shower before Anna had a chance to wake. The younger Blanchard had a bad habit of day-dreaming while under the tap, causing her to take forever in the shower. As a result, Elsa had taken to getting up earlier in order to get in and out of the bathroom before Anna could get in and hog it.

Once back in her room, she focused on blow-drying her platinum-blonde hair. Her eyes glanced over her wardrobe while she contemplated what to wear. Biting her lip, she pulled out a pair of black skinny jeans which she paired with a light pink shirt, a white blazer and a pair of blue converse shoes to complete the outfit. She applied a light dusting of makeup and left her hair hanging loose with only a few clips to keep it in place. She cast one last look in the mirror before grabbing her bag and slipping out her room.

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee hit her as she made her way into the kitchen and reminded her of her need for caffeine. Grabbing the freshly made pot, she poured herself a mug and drew it to her lips, savouring the bitter taste. Reaching into the pantry, she pulled out a box of cereal and poured some into a bowl. With her breakfast sorted, she made her way over to the kitchen counter and settled down.

"Morning, hun," a soft voice greeted

Gasping, Elsa lifted her head to find her mother standing in the corner. "Morning,"

Smiling kindly, Lillian Blanchard strode across the room until she reached Elsa's side. Leaning down, she placed a quick kiss to her eldest child's head. "Your father asked me to tell you that there is a staff meeting at 4pm. He would like you to attend, if possible."

Elsa rolled her eyes, thankful that her mum couldn't see her doing so. "I can make it. My last class finishes at 3pm. I'll head in to work as soon as I finish uni," she said, placing her empty dishes into the dishwasher.

"I'll let him know," the older woman said. "So, I take it you're still waiting on the princess to be ready?"

Elsa laughed. "Princess is right. You know Anna, she's probably still trying to tame her hair. Normally I don't mind, but today we're running late, so she's going to have to grab something to eat on the run."

Lillian nodded. Moving over to the cupboard, she began to pull out a travel mug before heading over to the counter and flicking the kettle on. "I'll make her a hot chocolate to take with her," she said. "You go wake her."

Nodding, Elsa ran to out the room and thundered halfway up the stairs. "Anna, hurry up," she yelled. "We're going to be late."

Not waiting for an answer, she turned and headed back to the kitchen, ignoring the amused expression on her mum's face. She knew what she was thinking. As far as organisation went, she and Anna were polar opposites. She was guilty of being almost too organised, whereas Anna was as disorganised as they came.

"I'm here!" Anna called, racing into the kitchen. "I just need to make breakfast and we can go."

Frowning, Elsa glanced at the clock. They were were running late, far too late for her liking. "Anna, we don't have ti-"

"Nonsense! It's only 8:30, we have plenty of time," Anna maintained.

"No, we don't, Anna. Don't forget we have to factor in traffic. I can't afford to be late, especially not with Weselton's class up first," she urged. "Mum's made you a cup of hot chocolate, so come on."

Stalking over to the fruit bowl, she picked up a banana and tossed it to Anna. She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder while digging her car keys out of her pocket.

"You're so bossy," Anna moaned as she accepted the travel mug from their mother. "Has anyone ever told you that?"

"You do. Every single time when I have to chase you out the door because you're running late, " she smirked, reaching over to plant a farewell kiss on her mum's cheek.

* * *

The drive to Arendelle University was a pleasant one, despite the heavy Monday morning traffic. Anna used the time to fill Elsa in on all the gossip she had picked up from her Facebook.

"Speaking of Facebook. I saw some interesting photo's of you." Elsa remarked, shooting Anna a cheeky grin "Please tell me that you and Punzie didn't eat _all_ of the chocolate by yourselves."

Anna sighed. "Oh, Elsa, it was so much fun. You saw the chocolate fondue right? Punzie and I pretty much ate it all. Well, we would have if Flynn hadn't come over to drag Punz away," she continued. "So, after Punzie left I was looking like a total loner. At least until this guy, Hans, came along. You saw the photo's, right? He was the redheaded guy with the jeans and black suit jacket."

Elsa nodded and turned to give her sister a faint smile. Beside her she heard Anna inhale deeply as she prepared to finish her story.

"So, I got talking to Hans and turns out he's 23 and studying to be an accountant. He's in his last year. Of course, he would have finished his degree earlier, but he took some time off to go travelling, he went to all these coo-"

"Anna, does this story have a point?" she teased. "I mean, I'd like to have heard the story before we arrive at uni."

"It does, it does. Why does everyone always ask me that? It's always 'Anna, get to the point!' " Anna huffed.

Elsa chuckled and turned to raise her eyebrow at her sister.

"Wha..oh," Anna blushed. "Anyway, Hans and I swapped numbers and he asked me to go out with him on Tuesday night!" she finished.

Elsa flinched. Looking at the photo's, she couldn't help feeling that something was 'off' about the guy, Hans. She felt guilty for judging him without having met him. Still, she was unable to shake the uneasy feeling that he had given her. She glanced at Anna who was lying back in the passenger seat with a dreamy look on her face. She sighed. She hoped, for Anna's sake that she was wrong about Hans.

"Did you say yes to the date?" Elsa asked, unsure if she wanted to know the answer.

Anna nodded as a dreamy smile settled on her face."Of course, he's so dreamy. I swear, he could be the 'the one,' my one true love. He could be the man I marry and have babies with."

'_Or he could be the one to break your heart,' _Elsa grimaced.

Arriving at Arendelle University, Elsa pulled the car into a park close to the campus and shut the engine. Slinging her bag on her shoulder, she walked across the yard and towards the campus.

"Punzie alert," Anna whispered, nudging her.

Looking up, Elsa watched as Punzie ran across the yard, pulling her boyfriend, Flynn, behind her.

"Elsa, Anna!" she shrieked, wrapping the girls in a tight hug.

"Hi, Punzie," they chorused in unison, disentangling themselves from the enthusiastic girl's hug.

"Oh, Anna, I just remembered. I have to leave at 3pm for a staff meeting, so you're going to have to find another way home. Unless of course, you want to wait here for me to finish and I'll come pick you up."

"We can drive Anna home," Punzie interrupted, wrapping her arm around Anna.

Her eyes glanced over at Anna who smiled and gave her a thumbs up, letting her know it was fine.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, she smiled at the girls. "Then it's settled. Thanks for that, Punzie," she said. "I have to go. I'll see you at home."

She gave a parting wave to the trio and headed in the direction of the business studies section of campus. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched as Anna, Punzie and Flynn linked arms and headed for the arts section.

Entering the main business building, she couldn't help noticing the various different groups of friends and social groups as they passed by her. She heard the sound of friendly conversations as they lined her walk. Sighing, she tightened her grip on her bag. She hadn't much experience in the friend department.

In early childhood she had enjoyed the normal friendships with classmates and the children of her parents associates. However, as she had grown older, the demands on her time had increased and the friendships had slowly decreased. By the time she had reached high school her focus had been set on maintaining the grades needed to get into the course her father had selected for her, or working behind the counter at the flagship store. Her busy workload, combined with her shy nature had earned her the nickname of 'Ice Queen' by her classmates.

Shaking her head, she pushed the thought out of her head. She brushed past a couple that had rudely decided to block the doorway of her lecture room to make out and sighed. Something told her that today was going to be a very, very long day.

* * *

**A/N- Stay tuned, for next chapter we finally meet Jack, and in true Jack fashion he may just make a bit of an entrance.**


	3. Chapter 3

Punctuality was not one of Jack Frost's strong suits. It wasn't that he intended to be late, it just seemed that things would conspire against him: either he'd sleep through his alarm, fail to set his alarm, get caught up in traffic or get held up by someone or something.

This particular morning, it was a combination of failure to set his alarm and getting held up by someone. The failure to set his alarm could be blamed on his pure laziness. He had been too busy stalking the Facebook profile of his long term crush and had simply forgotten to set the alarm. He hadn't realised his mistake until he'd woken up twenty minutes later than he was supposed to. The someone, was his teen sister.

Now, at 8:15am he found himself dressed and growing impatient while waiting for his thirteen-year-old sister, Emily, to join him down stairs. It was his responsibility to drive her to school, something which had been easier before she hit puberty and discovered boys.

"Em, if you're not sitting in the car in five minutes then I'm going without you!" he shouted. "Also, I'll use the time I save to upload and tag all of your embarrassing photos to Facebook. I bet Caleb would love to see them."

Moments later the teen appeared at the top of the stairs, hairbrush in one hand and shooting a glare at him. "You wouldn't dare!" she gasped.

Jack shot her a look. "Just try me," he dared, brushing past her to grab her school bag.

Sitting in his black Lexus, Jack couldn't help but think of how much his kid sister had grown up. Gone was the little girl who used to pester him to take her skating, play dolls, or to see the latest Disney princess movie. In her place was a young woman, who was more interested in boys, fashion and her various social media accounts. Still, he loved her. She may have been a pain in the butt at times, but she had also been the one who had kept him focused when he needed it most.

After the accident that had killed their mother, ten year old Jack and two year old Emily had been sent to live with their Uncle Nick, Aunt Clara and their fifteen year old cousin, Thia, in Arendelle. The move had not been an easy transition. Jack had initially refused to accept that their mother was really gone and refused to comply with the rules of his new home. Emily was his one constant. He doted on her and would spend every spare moment he had with her, desperate to ensure she grew up knowing how loved she was.

"I'm here. I believe that's 4 minutes 59 seconds," Emily said, opening the door and sliding into the passenger seat.

"Pity," muttered Jack "I was looking forward to your friends reactions to those photos."

"Jaaack!" Emily whined. "Can't you be nice for once?"

"Nice...nice...nope, not on the agenda for today." he teased, starting the motor.

* * *

The drive to Corona Grammar School had been a quiet affair. Emily had spent most of it hunched over her smartphone. Occasionally she stopped scrolling to tell Jack about something funny she had seen on Tumblr, or the latest fight being played out on Facebook.

After taking a few shortcuts, he had managed to arrive at Arendelle University by 9:08am. He'd quickly parked his car, grabbed his bag and had sprinted through the halls to reach his lecture room.

Taking a deep breath, he readied himself for the abuse that Professor Weselton would likely direct to him and pushed open the door.

He could feel the eyes of the room turn to watch him as the professor stopped talking to glower at him. "Mr Frost, how kind of you to join us. Why you're only thirteen minutes late," sneered the uppity man.

"Sorry, Professor. Next time I'll try and _weasel _it so that I make it on time. After all, can't have you missing me too much," Jack snickered, running a finger through his silver-white hair.

Gulping, he watched as the professor's face hardened and wondered if he'd gone too far.

"Just take a seat already. There's a spot right next to Miss Blanchard in the front. If we're lucky some of her habits may rub off on you, Frost," snarled Weselton.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Jack turned and sauntered towards the student in question. His eyes glanced towards his best friend, Jamie, who shot him an amused look before turning to nudge their friend, Fred. He knew what they were talking about and smirked. His eyes glanced back at the professor who glared at him. Shaking his head, he couldn't help but chuckle at the man's idea of 'punishment.' Especially not when it saw him getting the chance to sit next to the girl he'd been hopelessly in love with since the moment he'd first laid eyes on her.

It had been eight years ago. Jack had just started at Corona Grammar School. He had been walking to class one day when he had caught sight of the beautiful and mysterious Elsa Blanchard. With her light, platinum-blonde hair, her blue eyes and pale skin, she had looked like an angel. Despite the fact that she had not bothered to even look his way, he had been smitten and had decided there and then that she was the only one for him.

His friends were all aware of his crush on her and loved to tease him about it. Elsa was an enigma. She was known for being aloof and was rarely seen speaking to anyone outside of her family. In the years that he had known her, he'd never seen any inclination that she had friends or a social life. Her life seemed to revolve around work. Her isolation and sharp wit had seen her unfairly referred to as a 'cold-hearted ice queen'. However, Jack knew that wasn't the case and was determined to one day be the one who knocked through the walls she seemed to put up around her.

Taking his seat, Jack couldn't help but smile. His eyes glanced over at Elsa who remained stubbornly focused on the whiteboard as she bent over taking notes. Leaning in close, he breathed in the subtle scent of her vanilla perfume. "So, how do you plan to rub off on me? he purred and turned to wink at her.

He watched as Elsa stopped long enough to roll her eyes before returning her attention to the board. "Shh, trying to listen," she hissed.

"You do know that any other woman would be honoured to sit next to me, right?" Jack boasted, flashing her his biggest smile.

"In that case, you should get here on time so that you can sit next to them," Elsa quipped, brushing a loose strand of her blonde hair behind her ear.

Jack groaned. '_Good one, Frost, if she didn't already think you were a player than she does now.'_

He inwardly cursed himself for the slip of tongue. He knew he had a reputation. His family's wealth, together with his appearance and his position on the university's championship hockey team saw to it that he received his fair share of female attention. He was well aware that many assumed him to be a playboy and while he couldn't deny that a few women had tried to catch his interest, it hadn't worked. He didn't want to waste his time with just any woman, he wanted _her. _

After the lecture, Jack tried to talk to Elsa, turning in his seat only to watch her hastily shove her papers and books into her bag before rushing out. He noticed the way her arms wrapped around her body as she wove her way through the crowd. He could feel his smile faltering. He wasn't sure what he had expected. After all, she probably thought him to be a complete sleaze by now.

Groaning, he shoved his books into his bag and made his way to the door.

"Hey, Snowman, wait up," Jack spun around, watching as Jamie came running down the aisle.

Grinning, Jack stepped aside, holding out his palm to give the secret handshake that he and Jamie had created years ago after meeting as kids on their junior hockey team.

"So, yet another example of the Ice Queen giving you the cold shoulder," Jamie taunted. "What did you say to her this time?"

"Oh you know, the usual. I just asked her how she planned to rub off on me." Jack groaned. "Then I decided to remind her of the fact that half the school seems to think I'm some male slut."

"Chin up, Frosty. Look at the bright side - you pissed off Weaselton," Jamie pointed out, a wide grin appearing on his face. "Now come on, I've got to get this book back to the library."

* * *

The sight of a familiar blonde sitting hunched over one of the library tables caught Jack's attention. Normally, with a three hour break between classes he'd either head home, or meet with friends. However, he suddenly found himself feeling a bit more studious. Beside him, he heard Jamie let out a groan as he followed Jack's line of sight.

Reaching out, he grabbed Jamie by the sleeve of his jumper and pulled him into the library. "Come on, I think it's time we hung out in here a bit more," he grinned.

He watched as Jamie turned to smirk at him before rushing ahead. Shaking his head, he watched as the lanky brunette dumped his bag on a table opposite Elsa's. Grinning, he joined Jamie at the table. His eyes glancing over to steal a look at Elsa.

If she was annoyed by their presence, she didn't show it. She was far too engrossed in a thick textbook to care about others. He studied her for a while, taking in the way her platinum-blonde hair hung loose over her shoulder. He couldn't help wondering what it would feel like to run his fingers through her hair while stroking her smooth, porcelain face. He shook his head when he realised he had been staring. Digging in his bag, he pulled his laptop out and placed it on the table.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp kick delivered under the table by Jamie. Raising his head, he shot a glare at his friend.

"Elsa's up," Jamie whispered, nodding in the direction of the fiction section where Elsa was standing, browsing through the titles. "Now's your chance. Go talk to her. I dare you."

"Dare accepted," he replied, winking. "Keep your fingers crossed, Jamie, I can't afford to mess this up."

He could feel his heart racing as he walked towards Elsa. He waited until he was right behind her to speak. "Don't you think you should be working?" he teased.

If his presence had taken her by surprise, she didn't show it. "Don't you think you should be entertaining all your fan-girls?" she shot back, filing past him.

"Elsa, wait," Jack called out, reaching out his hand to grip at her arm. His eyes glanced to Jamie in the background who was busy making a love heart shape with his hands

"Sorry, Jack, some of us actually value our education," she retorted, not bothering to look at him as she walked back to her desk.

Glumly, Jack made his way back to the table. Taking his seat, he buried his head in his arms." She hates me. She actually hates me," he moaned.

"I doubt she hates you," Jamie pointed out. "It's just you get so nervous around her. That's your downfall."

Jack grunted "So what do you suggest I do now? Got any other suggestions for me to humiliate myself in front of the girl of my dreams?"

Jamie leant back in his chair, pondering the question for a while before replying. "Talk to her. Go apologise to her. Ask her to sit with us at lunch. Just stay calm and don't say something you'll regret."

"You're right," Jack said, raising his head. "I'm going to invite her to lunch."

Jumping to his feet, he crossed the divide and pulled out the empty chair beside Elsa.

Jack plopped himself down on the chair next to Elsa.

She let out soft huff before raising her head to look at him. "Are you lost?" she smirked

He could feel his breath hitch as she studied him. Her blue eyes glanced over his face before catching his gaze. Blushing, he dropped her gaze and focused his attention on the light dusting of freckles that lay over her nose and cheeks. "Come eat lunch with me," he stammered.

A small gasp escaped her lips. "I..I can't, Jack. I'm sorry," she whispered, wringing her hands.

Dejected, Jack slunk back to the table where Jamie was waiting with interest. "Come on," he whispered, packing up his belongings. "Let's get lunch."


	4. Chapter 4

Elsa groaned. She had come to the library to escape the crowds. It was her safe haven where she could get some work done surrounded by others who wished to study. Or at least it had been until Jack Frost had decided to grace her sacred space with his presence. It seemed he had woken that morning and decided today was her not-so-lucky day.

She had tried to ignore him when he walked in and dumped his belongings on a table way too close to her on. She had buried her head in her book and told herself not to give him the attention he was seeking. It was only when she had heard a laugh that she had looked up. That had been when she had caught the gaze of Jack's friend as he reacted to something Jack had said and shook her head. She had no doubt that Jack was replaying the oh-so-witty remark he'd made to her earlier in the morning. Sighing, she had stood up and made her way to the fiction section where she could escape the unnerving stares from Jack and his friend.

Her peace had been short lived, however, when Jack had appeared behind her. Once again, he had taunted her while flashing his infuriatingly his cocky smirk. She had tried to ignore him and had settled on brushing past him, leaving him to stand and gape at her. No doubt he'd been confused that a female could ignore him. After all, he'd been so modest when he had reminded her, less than three hours earlier, that he had a fanclub of hapless girls with nothing better to do than aspire to catch his eye.

She just didn't get it. Every time she looked at him he would either be staring, smirking or would have a lopsided grin on his face. Either way, he unsettled her. She had tried to figure out why he stirred such a reaction in her and had come at a loss. Instead, she had reasoned that it was because he was the stereotypical rich boy. As the nephew of Nicholas North, her father's biggest rival, he coasted through life on his so-called good looks and his uncle's money.

Having returned to her table, she had just managed to get her head back around the notes she had taken, when he'd decided to return for yet another attempt at annoying her. He had plonked himself down in the chair next to her own and had flashed her his stupid grin. Furrowing her brow, she had asked him if he was lost. For a split second she could have sworn he had lost his trademark cockiness and had almost appeared to be nervous. He'd stumbled for a bit before he had asked her to join him for lunch.

She had been caught off-guard by his odd request for her. However, what had been even more surprising was the way his face had fallen and he'd looked almost upset when she had declined him. She had watched him as he'd scurried back to his friend to pack up his belongings. She had been worried that she had hurt his feelings, but then she'd remembered that he was a magnet for all the vain, self-obsessed bimbo's who populated the city. Why he seemed intent on annoying her, was a mystery.

She had tried for twenty minutes to return to her work after Jack had left. However, the morning interactions with Jack had left her rattled. Instead, she had decided that a bite to eat could help her keep her energy up.

* * *

Making her way into the packed cafeteria, she frowned. Normally, she would sit with Anna for lunch, but not today. Anna had sent her a text to inform her that she was staying behind with Rapunzel to help paint scenery for the drama department.

Looking around, she could see Jack sitting at a table in the far corner with his friends. She kept her head low as she slunk past, hoping that he wouldn't notice her. Her eyes glanced over the items on offer before selecting a turkey salad roll, chocolate bar and a bottle of water.

"He's not going to give up that easily you know?" the sound of a male voice startled her. Turning around, she found herself face to face with the boy who had been with Jack earlier.

"I...uh," she stammered, handing over the money for her lunch to the sales assistant.

The boys brown eyes bore into her as he continued his plea. " Just come have lunch with us. That's all he's asking. He's even saved you a seat."

Elsa wasn't sure how to respond. She didn't even know the boy's name. "Look, I'm sorry, err…"

"Jamie," he said, extending his hand. "my name is Jamie."

Gingerly she shook his hand. "Elsa," she responded, shyly.

Jamie grinned. "Well, now that we're friends, why don't you come join us?" he said, pointing towards the table where Jack was seated.

" I'm sorry, Jamie, I can't. I just can't," Elsa whispered, biting her lip as she turned to walk away.

"Shit," Jamie muttered as he watched the slight blonde walk away. "Jack is not going to be happy about this."

Finding a small table in the corner, Elsa sat down. She'd been fortunate to find a lone table with only one chair which she had turned so that she was facing the wall. The last thing she wanted was to risk making eye contact with Jack. Sitting down, she pulled out her novel and opened it up to the last page that she had read.

She felt a thump as a weight was placed on her table. Looking up, she found herself facing Jack Frost once again. Hastily, she slammed the bookmark between the pages of her book and slammed it shut. She watched as he placed a bottle of soft drink and a half eaten packet of chips on the table before reaching to steal an empty chair.

"So," he drawled as he settled down on the chair that he'd placed opposite her. "You blew me off."

Crossing her arms, she glared at him. "No, I didn't," she replied.

He smirked at her before leaning back in his chair and popping a chip into his mouth. "Yes, you did," he argued.

Furrowing her brows, she continued to stare at him. She could feel her frustration mounting once again."How exactly could I blow you off when I never agreed to sit with you in the first place?" she demanded, running a hand through her hair.

"Why did you run from me this morning then?" Jack asked a little bit louder than she would have liked.

Nervously, she looked around and noticed that people were staring at them. "Why do you care?" she asked.

Jack shrugged and leaned in closer to look at her. "Why are you so defensive? Am I not allowed to care?" he countered.

She felt her heartbeat starting to pick up. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that they had attracted a few more curious states. No doubt wondering how or why the 'Ice Queen' and the hockey heartthrob came to be sharing a table together. She bit her lip and glanced back at Jack to see if he had noticed the stares, but he hadn't. Hastily, she wrapped the remainder of her roll in its wrap and slipped it in her bag.

Jumping to her feet, she leaned in to glare at Jack. "Listen, I don't know what your deal is. I have no idea if this is some kind of joke, something that is 'fun' to you, but I want no part of it," she snapped.

She turned on her heels and fled. From behind her, she could hear Jack calling for her, but she ignored him.

She didn't stop running until she reached the seat outside her next lecture room. Sitting down, she could feel her heart pounding from the confrontation. Self-doubt began to plague her thoughts and she found herself wondering if Jack could have been genuine. Groaning, she pushed the idea aside. After all, it was Jack Frost, the nephew of her father's biggest business rival. For all she knew, it could have been part of some sick plan where Jack was encouraged to befriend her in order to gain inside information on Kingdom Ice Creamery.

She heard a muffled sound and looked up to find herself face to face with a brawny, blonde male staring at her.

"Excuse me?" she asked, cocking her head at the imposing male.

"I asked you if you could move your bag please? I'd like to sit down," the male repeated.

Blushing, she looked at him. "Oh, I'm sorry, uh sure," she stammered, moving her bag so he could sit down.

"Thanks," he muttered, sitting down.

They sat in silence for a while until the stranger spoke again. "You're Anna Blanchard's sister aren't you?" he asked, looking at her.

"Yes, I am. Are you a friend of Anna's?" she asked.

"No, not really. I mean, I like her, but we're not friends. She's cool though," he mumbled. "I'm Kristoff, by the way."

"No, not really. I mean I like her, she's a cool girl, a bit feisty, but sweet," he said, a shy smile evident on his face. "I'm Kristoff by the way," he adds.

"Elsa," she offered, flashing Kristoff a warm smile.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon had passed in a blur. Elsa somehow managed to get through her last lecture without having to deal with Jack Frost. As soon as 3pm arrived she had fled.

She had been lucky to avoid most of the traffic and had arrived at Kingdom headquarters with twenty minutes to spare which gave her enough time to run a brush through her hair and to freshen up her makeup.

As she had expected, the meeting had been boring. She had sat alongside her father and had done her best to give off the poised, perfect and polished daughter that she was expected to be. She had continued to carry on the pretence while her father's colleagues had approached her and paid her compliments for her good grades. She'd smiled, nodded and said all the replies that had been drilled into her.

To her relief, her behaviour at the meeting had earned her the approval of her father. He had proudly announced over the dinner table how she had once again proven to be an asset to him and the company. She had plastered the fake smile upon her face once again when her father had pressed a kiss to her forehead. Her eyes had flicked to Anna and she had thought how ironic it was that her sister was the one who studied drama, while she was the actress. Her entire life was nothing but an act, suppressing her own likes, her own interests in order to play the role she had been born to play.

* * *

Elsa climbed into bed and let out a loud sigh. She could feel the long day getting to her. Closing her eyes she tried to wrap her mind around the day, but there was so much. First there was the attention from Jack and his friend. Then there was meeting Kristoff, who hadn't said much, but she had got the impression that he fancied her sister and finally the staff meeting and her father's praise.

She heard the sound of three short taps to her door and waited. She would know that tap anywhere, it was the same series of taps that her and Anna had used as kids when they wanted to extend their play time a bit longer. She rolled over to her side and waited, knowing that Anna will let herself in regardless of whether or not she'd been invited.

Sure enough, seconds later and she heard the door being pushed open. "Elsa, are you awake?" Anna asked in a hushed voice.

"No," she whispered, barely managing to suppress a giggle.

"Oh, okay," Anna mumbled.

Grinning, she waited for Anna to connect the dots.

"Hey!" she shrieked. "Elsa, I'm not five-years-old anymore. You can't fool me with that trick."

Giggling, Elsa sat up and turned to face her sister. "And yet I did," she teased, pulling the younger girl into a hug. "How was your day?"

"Oh you know, same old, same old. Wake up, get bossed around by sister because I'm running a bit late, go to uni, come home. Basically boring," Anna remarked. "Except for the fact that Mum and Dad agreed to let me go on a date with Hans tomorrow night!"

Taking a deep breath, she resisted the urge to groan. Instead, she plastered the same fake smile she had used earlier. "Oh, I see," she said.

Fortunately, her smile seemed to fool Anna, who opened her mouth to gush about how perfect and charming Hans apparently is.

"So," Anna piped up. "Enough about me. What is this I hear about you and Jack 'Full-of-himself' Frost in the cafeteria?"

She sighed. "He was late to class, again. He also shot his mouth off at Weselton and managed to piss him off. So, Weselton decided that I had earned the 'pleasure' of sitting next to Jack. He said something about wanting my habits to 'rub off on Jack.' Naturally, Jack made a crude joke," she began.

Anna nodded, urging her to go on.

"So, anyway, after class I went to study in the library. All was going well until Jack and his friend Jamie decided that they wanted to tag along. That was when Jack decided to annoy me once again. He asked me to sit with at lunch as well, bu - "

"Elsa," Anna whispered. "You didn't say yes did you? People said they saw you sitting together in the cafeteria. Well, they said you were sitting with him, but then you ran out in all upset."

"Anna, let me finish!" Elsa grumbled, feeling frustrated. "I politely declined. I thought that would be the last of it. So, I go to the cafeteria to grab lunch and it doesn't stop. This time he sent his friend to plead his case. Again, I said no and went to find a table as far away from him as I could. I sat down, kept my back to him and next thing you know, he's at my table. He just sat down at my table and started questioning me. I ah… I saw people staring at us and well, I kind of freaked so I ran."

She watched as Anna frowned. "He is such a douche. I swear, I don't know what all those girls see in him," she stated. "People were saying that he tried to hit on you and you shot him down," she chuckled.

Grinning, she turned to glance at her sister. "I guess I did kind of shoot him down. Although, it wasn't flirting. It was more like him being his usual annoying, cocky self."

She watched as Anna jumped off the bed. "I've got to go to bed. I just want to know if I could borrow your black jacket with the silver trim for my date?" she asked, rifling through the wardrobe.

"And if I say no?" Elsa teased, watching as Anna froze with her hand on the jacket.

"I'd remind you that I am your favourite sister in the whole wide world," she teased. "I'd also point out that you may need my assistance later."

Elsa laughed. "Sure, go ahead. Just don't spill anything on it," she warned and shook her head.

"Thanks, Elsie, I swear you're like the the world's best sister," Anna sang, skipping over with the jacket held triumphantly between her fingers. "Night."

Shaking her head, Elsa watched as Anna skipped out the room, pulling the door shut behind her. Reaching over, she grabbed her phone to set the alarm before putting it back on her bedside table. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to settle back against the pillow. A small smile crossed her face as she realised that tomorrow, was a Tuesday and that meant no uni and no Jack Frost.


	5. Chapter 5

Boredom and loneliness - two things that Jack Frost hated and he was currently experiencing both of them. He had no classes today and no reason to go into university. He had risen at his normal time and had driven Emily to school. By the time he'd returned home, the house had been empty with his uncle and aunt having already left for work at the Guardian's head office.

He lazed on the couch with his laptop resting beside him while he aimlessly scrolled Facebook. He'd switched the TV on for background noise, but it was doing little to ease the loneliness he felt. Grabbing the remote, he flicked through the channels and cursed at the selection. It seemed that the only thing on offer was morning talk shows, cheesy music videos or repeats of '90's sitcoms - none of which entertained him. Desperation mounting, he grabbed his phone. If he remembered correctly, Jamie and Fred didn't have classes today and would be available to hang out. He typed his message swiftly and hit send. He placed the phone back by his side and said a prayer to the god of procrastination that his friends would come through and rescue him from his current boredom.

The jingle of an advert on the TV caught Jack's attention as the jolly sounding voice-over loudly declared, 'Kingdom Ice Creamery - where everyone is royalty.' Jack jerked his head up just in time to catch sight of Elsa on the screen as she smiled at a customer.

Elsa. The thought of the awkward interaction they had shared the day before plagued him. His friends had joked about it and he had smiled and shook it off, but it still hurt. He didn't know what he had expected when he had sent Jamie to approach her in the cafeteria.

All he knew was that his ability to construct intelligent sentences seemed to fly out the window when it came to Elsa. Jamie, on the other hand, wasn't struck with a hopeless crush on her like he was. As such, Jack had hoped that his friend would have been able to convince her to join them for lunch. However, his hopes had been dashed when Jamie had returned to their table alone.

Hearing the sound of rejection from Jamie had made something inside of Jack snap. Driven by desperation and curiosity, he had stood up. He'd grabbed his chips and soft drink and had made his way across the hall to Elsa.

However, nothing had prepared him for the reaction he had received. The look she had given him when he had sat down had left him wanting to cry. She had been visibly shaken and her blue eyes had widened while she shrunk back in her seat. Once she had locked eyes with him, her demeanor had changed. She had immediately placed her arms in front of her and had glared at him. He had ignored her glare and had continued to try and talk to her. The way she had questioned why he cared had surprised him, it was almost as if the notion that someone could care about her, let alone him, was a foreign concept to her. However, it had been her parting words that had stung the most. In that moment, Jack had felt like he had been shot.

"_Listen, I don't know what your deal is, whether this is your idea of 'fun,' some kind of joke, but I want no part of it," she'd snapped. _

Out of all the things that she could have said to hurt him, it had been that.

He knew how he was perceived. He was the 'good looking' guy who had been fortunate to be raised by his wealthy uncle. He was the popular hockey player who had girls drooling over him. He was also an illusion. People saw the car he drove, the suburb he lived in. They saw the lean, cocky prankster with the silver-white hair that never sat quite right. People saw Jack Frost, but Jackson Overland Frost remained invisible.

Jackson Overland Frost was the guy who blamed himself for his mother's death. He was the one who had forgot the present for his cousin's birthday. He had been the reason that his mum had been forced to turn around and return to their home to pick up the missing gift. It was because of him, that she had been on the road and had been crossing the intersection when a speeding driver had run a red light. It was his fault that Emily had been raised without her mother.

The sound of a text message broke Jack from his thoughts:

"_Meet up at the lake in 40 minutes. Fred and Lana against you and I in hockey. Can you pick me up?"-Jamie_

* * *

Jack grinned as he skillfully dodged past Fred to deliver yet another puck into the makeshift goal. "That's 3-1, Alfredo. Jamie and I have kicked your ass," he boasted, pumping his fist triumphantly

"That's only because Lana and I went easy on you, Jackson," Fred protested, pulling his girlfriend in for a hug.

"Easy, yeah right. Just admit it, Frost and I were the better team. Although, technically Lana could claim she was playing with a disadvantage. After all, she did have to play with you," teased Jamie as he skated to the sidelines.

"Only because we decided to go easy. We thought Frost may need a bit of kindness after he got shot down by his long-term crush, again," Fred taunted.

"Be nice, Fred," Lana chided, stealing a glance at Jack. "Anyway, less chat, more action. I'm starving. I need lunch."

Feeling the familiar growl of hunger in his stomach, Jack nodded. "Same here. I do believe that we agreed losing team paid for lunch," he added. "I expect that means you'll be treating us to a five-star restaurant then, Freddy."

Fred smirked. "Oh no, Frost. I know the perfect place for lunch. In fact, I think you'll love it. Just follow us, we'll lead the way."

As they piled into their respective cars, Jack couldn't help but feel nervous. There had been something in the way that Fred had smirked at him that had piqued his interest. He knew that Fred was planning something, but what.

Shrugging, he kicked his car into drive and followed Fred as he wove his way through the suburbs to reach downtown Arendelle. He watched as Fred pulled the car into a small parking bay and groaned in realisation as the Kingdom Ice Creamery flagship store came into view. Elsa's family store. The very same store where she worked.

Groaning, he parked the car and got out. He hit the button to lock the car before striding across the parking lot to face Fred.

"Told you that we'd bring you someplace nice, Frost," Fred teased.

"Are you fucking insane?" he shot back, his eyes darting between the store and his friends. "I can't go in there! Do you actually _want _the girl of my dreams to kill me?"

"Settle down, Jack," Fred urged. "We're just customers who want lunch."

He glanced at Jamie who just shrugged. Running his hand over the back of his neck, he watched as his friends turned and walked towards the store. He could feel the anxiety rising as he slowly followed his friends. On the one hand, there was every chance he would see Elsa and could talk to her, maybe apologise for the misunderstanding. Then again, there was also the chance that Elsa would either not be working, or would ignore him completely - adding his presence at her workplace as yet another misdemeanor that he had committed.

Walking into the store, he couldn't help feel impressed. The store was decked out in complimentary colours and the design reminded him of a '50s style diner. The walls were decorated with old posters and in the far corner stood a jukebox which was playing an old tune. It was a stark contrast to the modern, flashy look of his own family's store.

Slipping into a booth, he spied Elsa. He could feel his heart skip a beat as he watched her chatting with customers. She was dressed simply in a neat pair of black dress pants and a lilac blouse. Her long hair had been tied back in a tidy plait. He could feel his breath hitch as she approached them, her eyes focused on the order pad she held in front of her. He said a silent prayer that any interaction with her would be positive.

"Good afternoon and welcome to Kingdom's…" Elsa gasped as she raised her head to look at them. Her eyes widened as she turned to face him. "You! What are you doing here?"

"Don't we get the pleasure of hearing your normal spiel? Or is that how you greet all your customers?" he sassed, winking at her in what he hoped would appear non-threatening.

"No, just you" she remarked, barely raising an eyebrow.

He grinned and ran a finger through his hair. "What makes me so special?"

He watched as she looked around to check on the other customers before leaning down to glare at him. "Asides from the fact that you practically stalked me yesterday and managed to interfere with both my study time and my lunch break. Or the fact that you are the nephew of my father's biggest business rival and it's entirely possible that you are here to spy on our store?" she hissed. "Nothing."

Groaning, he slid himself out of the booth. It was obvious to him that she had the wrong idea. "Can I...can I talk to you?" he asked softly.

Elsa quirked an eyebrow as she looked at him. Her plum-coloured lips pulled into a small smirk. "We are talking," she stated.

"I meant alone" he whispered, beckoning towards an empty booth.

"I..I'm working," she stammered and held up her order pad and pen as if to illustrate the point.

"This will only take a minute. You've not got any customers who appear to need serving and my friends, they can wait," he pointed out, smiling at her.

He watched as Elsa bit her lip. He could sense that she was thinking it over and that she was torn between continuing to shoot him down, or finding out what he had to say. Taking a deep breath, she nodded and pointed to an empty corner of the store before throwing him a pointed look. Nodding, he slipped out of the booth and followed her. His eyes lingered on her retreating frame and he shook his head. It would not do him any favours to get caught out acting like a perve.

"Talk," she ordered as he came to a stop in front of her.

Taking a deep breath, he began. "I wanted to apologise...for yesterday."

He paused and looked at her. He could feel his palms getting sweaty and wiped them on his pants. He noticed how the smallest hint of a smile had begun to form on her face which highlighted the few freckles that dusted her flawless face.

Sighing, he continued. "I mean it. I really am so -"

"Elsa!" boomed a loud voice. "What are you doing? You're not being paid to stand and talk."

Jack groaned. He noted how Elsa's eyes had widened and she began to step away in panic.

Turning around, he watched as Walt Blanchard strode towards them dressed in a business suit.

"You!" Walt spat as his eyes narrowed in on Jack. "You are Nicholas' nephew. You have no business being here and even less business talking to my daughter."

"Please, Mr Blanchard, I'm not here to cause trouble," Jack pleaded, stuffing his hands in his jean pockets.

"Silence!" he snarled, glaring at Jack. "You will leave, immediately."

"But..but my friends, they wanted to eat here" he begged, turning to face the angered man.

"Leave now or I will have security come down here and escort you out," Walt ordered.

Sighing, Jack turned to Elsa. She had stepped further away from them and had her head down, avoiding eye contact.

"Elsa," he whispered, "I'm so-"

"Just go, Jack... please," she mumbled.

He sighed. Turning to his friends, he beckoned for them to follow as he left. To his relief, his friends said nothing. Instead, they ran ahead and left him to pick up the rear.

He glanced through the window as he walked. His eyes settled on Elsa as she looked down at the floor with her arms wrapped tightly around her tiny frame. Her father stood in front of her as his arms flailed about. It was obvious that he was not happy with the situation and it seemed that she was copping it. Jack sighed as he watched the angered man remain oblivious to his daughter's obvious distress.

Shaking his head, he ran to catch up with his friends. Any longer spent watching Elsa and he would want to run in and comfort her. Now more than ever he could see that she needed him. Whether she realised it or not, she needed someone to care for her and to give her the treatment she so richly deserved.


	6. Chapter 6

Elsa groaned. She had been looking forward to a day without the insufferable Jack Frost, only it seems fate really had it out for her. What had started as a boring day at work had soon been disrupted when she'd turned to notice Jack and his friends sitting in a booth with menus in hand.

She had gone to question Jack on his sudden appearance, only for him to beg her to talk to him privately. Initially she had refused, but a hint of sincerity had filled his voice and she had soon found herself giving in. He'd stood before her and had appeared somewhat flustered. She had to admit that there was a small part of her that found it enjoyable to see the cocky young man from the day before suddenly appear nervous. He had only just started to speak and had claimed that he wished to apologise to her when they had been interrupted.

Her father had entered the store at that moment. He had seen her talking and had approached her to scold her for disappointing him. However, his anger had shifted once he had noticed Jack.

He had taken one look at Jack and demanded that the boy and his friends left. Jack had tried to speak up, but had been cut off and had backed down. Instead, he had turned to leave. She had watched from the corner of her eye as they had left. She knew that the instant Jack and his friends left, that her father's wrath would be directed at her.

She hadn't been wrong. No sooner had the door closed behind Jack, had her father turned to her. "Elsa, what the hell was that…that..boy doing in my store?" he'd spat, his face flushed with anger.

"I'm not sure, Dad, I was as surprised as you were to see him here," she had admitted, not daring to look at her father.

He had then grabbed her and had pulled her into the kitchen away from the view of customers. "More to the point, Elsa, why the hell were you even talking to him? You know better than to allow someone like him into our store. I would not put it past him to go back and report on our store to that...that uncle of his," he had hissed.

Elsa had shut up and had continued to apologise until he had calmed down. She knew better than to try and argue with him. He had already let her know that she had disappointed him.

Fortunately he hadn't stuck around much longer. He had raced into the office to grab a book before he'd left to return to the head office. She had waited for a few minutes until he had left to excuse herself. Luckily, her colleague Collette had been happy to watch over the store.

She had run to the bathroom and locked herself into a stall. She had allowed herself a few minutes to cry while she sorted through her emotions. Everything that had had happened had been over in a matter of minutes and yet she had been left shaken. Her insecurities plagued her. A part of her had wondered if Jack had been telling the truth about wanting to apologise. He had sounded sincere, but then again she never could tell with him.

* * *

Elsa sat, anxiously wringing her hands as Professor Lawrence described the group assignment he'd set. While she wasn't opposed to group projects, she had found throughout her education that they had their flaws. Most of the issues, she had found, came down to students who failed to pull their weight or who relied too heavily on the more studious members. There was also the added concern of actually finding a group. Something that was made harder by the fact that she wasn't known for socialising with her fellow students. As it was, she could only name two of her fellow students in the class with one being Jack Frost and the other, his friend Jamie.

"As I was saying, I shall be assigning your groups. As this class is on international business management, it is crucial that you get experience in working with people you may not normally associate with," the Professor stated, fumbling for some papers on his lectern.

She heard the sound of groans coming from her classmate and rolled her eyes. They were all adults and this was third year university, not high school. Surely people could handle not working with their friends. She scanned the room and noticed the cocky smile of Jack Frost as he leaned back in his chair. Frowning, she dropped her head. She couldn't risk him catching her staring. The last thing she wanted to do was to risk inflating his already large ego.

"And finally, our last group shall comprise of Allison Lee, Elsa Blanchard, Eric Williams and Jackson Frost," the smooth voice of her professor called. "I shall now give you time to meet with your groups and organise study times."

Groaning, she gathered her belongings and made her way towards the two students who had raised their hand to identify themselves as Allison and Eric. She watched with annoyance as Jack sauntered up to them and came to stand beside her

"Looks like you can't escape me," he teased, brushing a hand through his tousled hair.

"You better pull your weight in this assignment," she warned, shooting him a glare.

She dug her hand into her bag and pulled out her timetable to exchange details with the group. After comparing notes, they realised that all four of them had a free period at midday and decided to meet in the library for 12:30pm. Her eyes glanced over at Allison and Eric who appeared to be mature. She could only hope that they were as studious as she was. She had a bad feeling that Jack would prove to be challenging.

* * *

A few hours later, Elsa found herself hunched over a table in the library with Allison and Eric. Jack, to her annoyance, was nowhere to be found. She let out a small huff as she checked her watch. He was already fifteen minutes late. Sighing, she pulled her textbook towards her and flicked through the pages.

She heard a whistle and looked up, rolling her eyes as Jack sauntered towards them. He flashed his usual cocky smirk and dumped his bag on the table causing it to shake slightly.

"Sorry I'm late," he said, fixing his blue eyes on her as he took the seat next to Eric.

Furrowing her brows, she stared at him. She could scarcely believe the nerve of him. It was bad enough that he had been late, but to saunter in so casually without even bothering to give them an explanation - that was just rude. "Do we get the honour of an explanation?" she probed.

"Nope, personal," he muttered, turning to flash Eric and Allison a smile.

She glared at him. She could feel herself growing angry and wanted to scold him, but she pushed it aside. They only had a short period of time to work as a group. Fighting with Jack would do little to help their grade. Instead, she focused her attention on her work. It was early days, but Allison and Eric appeared to be good workers. She figured that so long as Eric and Allison continued to pull their weight, they may just have a chance at a passing grade.

She made her way through the book, noting down pieces of information that would help. She paused for a split second to stare at Jack and groaned. Whereas the rest of them were hard at work, he seemed happy to simply stare at his book while rubbing his hand over the back of his head. Frowning, she excused herself and made her way to the non-fiction books. She allowed her fingers to graze the spines of the books as she read the titles and gathered books that could help.

"Need some help?" a voice asked. Turning, she found Jack as he reached out to take a few of the books from her pile.

"What you mean like team members who actually show up on time?" she shot back and moved to pass him.

He stepped to the side, and blocked her exit. "I had a reason, you know, for being late," he said.

"So you've said, but you also had a commitment, to three other people, all of whom had the decency to show up at the agreed time," she pointed out. "Now if you'll kindly let me past, I need to work on _our_ project, seeing as it appears that it means so little to you."

For a moment she could have sworn he looked taken aback by her comments. She felt a slight tinge of guilt and sighed. Whether she liked it or not, she had to work with Jack on this assignment. The other two members of their group were counting on them all to work together. She couldn't allow her personal issues with him get the better of her. Opening her mouth, she was about to apologise for her harshness, but was cut off.

"You know what, I'm done here. Nothing I can do is right by you. I don't even know why the fuck I try anymore. All I do is try and be friendly to you and get shot down. So, I then go to apologise to you, you know, for pissing you off and get kicked out of your store like a criminal instead," he ranted

She glared at him. "Oh, so making unwanted sexual innuendos, disrupting my private study time, humiliating me in the cafeteria and then proceeding to stalk me at my workplace are all your ideas of being 'friendly' are they?" she snapped.

Jack turned glare at her. "Do you ever stop and think about how you make people feel?" he snarled. "For eight years I've known you and watched you. You let no one in, you avoid people unless absolutely necessary. I swear on the life of me that I've not once seen you smile - at least not a genuine one. You walk around as if you are better than anyone else and then you dare wonder why people call you a fucking ice queen."

She gasped. Taking a step back, she willed herself to not let the tears fall. She would not let him see her cry. No, he would not have that pleasure.

She heard him let out a breath. "Elsa...I…" he began.

"Save it, Jack," she said, shaking her head. "You really think I don't know what people think of? You think I don't hear the whispers or see the looks I get? I know it must be hard for you to contemplate in that blissful bubble you live in where everything you want is just handed to you, but life isn't all fun and games. I'll tell you this though, you and your slacker friends know NOTHING about me. So don't you dare tell me that you do."

She brushed past him to return to the table where Eric and Allison were seated. Clearing her throat, she told them that something had come up and she had to leave. To her relief, they accepted her excuse and waved her off. She hastily packed her belongings in her bag and fled before Jack thought to try and follow her.

Once outside the library, she felt the tears fall. She tightened her grip on her bag and ran through the halls. She knew that people were staring at her, but she didn't care.

With her head down and her vision blurred by tears, she didn't notice the large frame that had stepped out in front of her until she fell.

"Oomph," she groaned as she landed with a thud on her backside.

"Didn't anyone tell you not to run in the halls?" a gruff voice question.

Glancing up, she was about to snap when she noticed the young man she had met the other day. Blinking back tears, she watched as he extended his hand to help her to her feet. "K...Kristoff, h...hi," she stammered. "I didn't see you there."

She felt herself being pulled to her feet before a pair of strong hands clamped onto her shoulders, steadying her. "I noticed that," he said. "Hey what's wrong?"

"N..nothing, I just need to get to my car and go home," she sniffed, dabbing her eyes with the corner of her sleeves.

"Oh no you don't," he chuckled, taking her bag from her. "I'm sorry, but you just ran into me because you couldn't see through your tears. You are in no state to drive. Is there somewhere I can take you? Maybe a friend on campus or somewhere to calm down"

Elsa snorted "Haven't you heard? I'm the 'Ice Queen' I don't have friends. My sister and cousin are over in the art department though."

He paused for a minute and looked at her. "Okay then. Lets go find this sister of yours," he said, swinging her bag onto his shoulder.

They walked in a comfortable silence. To her relief he didn't bother asking why she was crying. He simply whistled to himself and carried her bag while she dabbed at her eyes.

Pushing open the door to the studio where Anna was, he poked his head in. "Uh hi, I'm looking for Anna Blanchard," he announced and gently guided her into the room.

She watched as Anna put the paint she was holding down and turned to face her. "Elsa?" she called

Anna was by her side in an instant. She felt herself being pulled into her sister's arms as she stroked at her hair. The warmth of the hug caused a fresh stream of tears to fall from her eyes. A few seconds later another pair of arms joined in as Rapunzel wrapped her arms around her.

She stole a glance at Kristoff and smiled at him. She watched the way he nodded at her before stealing one last look at Anna before he turned and walked away.

She felt herself being led towards a chair in an isolated part of the room. They sat in silence for a while until her tears had subsided. Clearing her throat, she told her sister and cousin about being forced to work in a group with Jack and how he had been disrespectful before he'd snapped at her. She let out a small snort as she mentioned how he had caused her to feel humiliated for having fled her group responsibility. No doubt Allison and Eric likely thought her an emotional mess by now.

As expected, her sister and cousin were furious with Jack's behaviour.

"Just you wait until I see that arrogant bastard. First I'm going to yell at him and then his mouth is going on a date with my right fist," Anna declared, balling her hand into a fist.

"Not until my saucepan has a chance to kiss that smug face of his," Punzie stated. "Flynn plays hockey with him. You never know, I might be able to convince him to send Jack flying into the wall."

They sat together for a few minutes, each putting forward various scenarios in which Jack received a suitable payback for his harsh words. Finally, Anna decided that she could take the rest of the afternoon off. Elsa felt herself being led towards her car before being bundled into the passenger seat. Biting her lip, she watched as Anna settled herself behind the steering wheel.

"You know. I can always tell when you're truly upset. It's the only time when you'll ever let me drive your car," she joked as she slid the keys into the ignition.

She felt a small smile grace her lips as she turned to look at her sister. "Just don't crash it or else Jack won't be the only one in trouble," she warned.

* * *

The remainder of the afternoon had been spent curled on the couch with blankets piled high as they made their way through chocolate and a comedy movie. Their mum had been surprised to see them home early, but had soon joined them on the couch as they filled her in on the mornings events. Frowning, she had agreed that a bit of relaxation was in order, especially with the knowledge that the days events would likely enrage the family patriarch.

The sound of a text had interrupted their bonding and caused Anna to leap to her feet. Apparently Hans had enjoyed the date they had been on and had sent her a text to ask if she wanted to catch up later that evening. All thoughts of men being jerks had flown out the window and Anna had torn through the house in preparation for the date. Elsa had shot her mum a glance. She still felt uncomfortable with the idea of Hans, but had been shot down with her mum telling her that they had to let Anna live her own life.

Elsa had felt her wariness growing when Hans had failed to approach the door prior to collecting Anna. She had heard a horn being honked and had glanced out the window to see a redheaded man sitting in the drivers seat of a black BMW. Anna, however, had not seemed to have an issue with his behaviour and had raced out the front door, briefly stopping to wave goodbye to Walt Blanchard as he pulled his car up the driveway.

As expected, Walt Blanchard was furious when he'd heard of Elsa's interaction with Jack. "I have half a mind to ring Nicholas right now and give him a piece of my mind," he fumed as he paced around the living room. "That boy is nothing but a no-good, arrogant slacker riding on the coattails of his rich uncle.

"Walt, can we just remember that this about Elsa," Lillian interjected, placing a hand on her angered husband's arm.

"Damn right this is about Elsa," he ranted. "I've watched that boy at business functions. He's no good. All he does is sit on his backside and play on his phone, or make wisecracks. Yet he's bound to eventually take over that wretched business. Which means, he's going to continue to be a threat to our family."

He paused slightly and turned to look at his wife before softening. "It's obvious that he lacks the work ethic of Elsa. I know from experience that Nicholas is not afraid to use dirty-handed tactics in business and it's obvious that his filth of a nephew has learned from him."

Elsa sighed and shook her head. She knew her father would be angry. She just wished that she knew what to say to please him. She couldn't back out of the group assignment because it would reflect poorly on her and that would not go down well. Looking up, she watched as her mum crossed the divide to pull her into a hug.

"Just leave it for now, Walt. We can finish this conversation in private. Right now our daughter needs to relax, to feel comforted, Lillian coaxed. Leaning down, she placed a kiss to Elsa's forehead.

Sucking in a breath, Elsa watched as her father paused to consider the suggestion. To her relief, he agreed and stalked over to place a kiss to her forehead before excusing himself to deal with paperwork in his study.

* * *

Across town, Jack paced anxiously. He'd chosen to avoid going home that evening and had opted to unwind at Jamie's house. Together, they had ordered a pizza for dinner and had finished it in a matter of minutes.

"I'm in too deep, Jamie. I can't win with her. She's just too stubborn, too disconnected. Nothing I can do is good enough for her. I need to just let her go," he ranted and shook his head. "I don't even know why I bother anymore."

Jamie paused and stared at him for a few minutes before speaking. "You bother because you've been in love with her for eight years and because you're equally as stubborn," he offered.

"Yeah, but why am I so in love with her? It's clear that she's never going to feel the same way, especially not after today. Maybe the guys on the team are right. Maybe I do need to just get over her and go out and have some fun," he whined and buried his head in his hands.

"So let her go then," Jamie suggested. "Forget about her. Besides, I heard Chad from our hockey team wants to ask her out - let her be his problem."

Snapping his head up, he glared at his friend. "What?! Are you fucking kidding me? No, Chad only goes out with girls long enough to sleep with them and then ditches them. There is no fucking way he's getting anywhere near Elsa," he fumed, slamming his fist on the nearby desk.

Jamie smirked. "There's your answer. Like it or not, you care too deeply for her to just let her go. Besides, don't think I didn't see you yesterday and the look you had when her dad was talking to her."

"What look?" Jack asked, taking a seat on the corner of the desk.

"The look that said you wanted to run in and save the damsel in distress. You know, be her hero, her knight in shining armour," Jamie sang, throwing his hand over his chest, mockingly.

Scrunching up a blank sheet of paper, Jack tossed it at his friend. "I hate it when you do this to me, you know? Call my bluff," he groaned.

"What can I say? Elsa's not the only stubborn one, " Jamie smirked.

"Yeah, but, Jamie, I really hurt her this time," Jack cried. "You didn't see her face when I called her an ice queen. She was crying and it was all because of me."

"She'll recover. You just need to give her time, and space. You're not a bad guy and you do genuinely care for her. Just let her see that," Jamie suggested.

Jack sighed. "I need a miracle."

* * *

**A/N- Whew. This chapter took me the longest so far to write. Getting all the angst of their fight out. Thank you all for your lovely reviews. I love getting some really well thought out reviews, and that you take the time to respond. Keep calm and ship Jelsa :). **


	7. Chapter 7

The weight of an extra body climbing onto her bed was enough to wake Elsa from her slumber. She'd had a restless night with her mind replaying the fight with Jack while she slept. Rolling over, she glanced at the alarm and she noticed it was early, far too early for her liking. She groaned and turned to glare at the intruder.

"Anna, it's five am. What are you doing up at this hour?" she murmured, settling her head back on her pillow.

"Elsa," Anna cried softly. "I screwed up big time. Can I sleep in here?"

She sat up. The tone of Anna's voice alarmed her. Looking at her sister she could see the remnants of tear stains on her face. Sighing, she shuffled over and pulled the covers back so that Anna could slide in.

They lay in silence for a few seconds. She could hear Anna sniffling a few times before she buried herself further under the covers. She heard her take a few breaths before she spoke.

"I hate him," she said trembling. "I hate Hans."

Elsa gulped. She could feel a lump forming in her throat. "What happened?" she whispered, reaching out to stroke a strand of hair from her sister's face.

"He..he.." Anna stammered, avoiding eye contact. "I can't tell you if you're looking at me like that," she mumbled.

Elsa settled herself on her back. She could feel the worry rising within her. She knew that Anna only asked her to avoid eye contact when she was feeling really worried about something. Whatever she had to tell her, it wasn't good. "Okay, Anna. I'm not looking at you," she whispered.

She heard Anna take a deep breath beside her. "Last night on my date with Hans," she began. "He asked me if I wanted to watch a movie at his house. I said yes, so we went to his house. No one else was home and so we just put the movie on. At first it was fine, but then..then… Elsa, I'm such an idiot."

Reaching out, she found Anna's hand and gave it a light squeeze. "No, you're not an idiot," she said reassuringly.

"No, I am. We were watching the movie and Hans, he put his arm around me which was fine," Anna continued. "Then he started to get more forceful. He pushed me down and started to put his hands under my top...and he tried to pull my pants down," she cried. "I told him to stop and that I wasn't ready."

"What?!" Elsa hissed, rolling over to look Anna." What happened? He didn't...you know..hurt you?"

"No, he didn't hurt me. Nothing happened. He tried, but I punched him in the face before he could do anything else. That was when he called me a cock-tease and kicked me out. He accused me of wasting his time and his money," she said, sniffing back tears.

Sighing, she pulled her sister into a hug and stroked at her hair. "Wait, how did you get home?" she asked.

"I called a taxi," Anna admitted. "I didn't want to bother you or Mum and Dad. Not after the Jack thing."

Elsa shook her head. "Anna, you're my sister. You could never bother me. I'm always here for you, you know that," she pointed out.

"Elsa…" Anna whimpered. "It gets worse. I got a text from my friend, Chelsea. Hans, he uh posted on the university burn book page on Facebook. Do you know about that page?"

She nodded. She had heard rumours of the 'burn book' page. It was a page on Facebook where students could post vile stories about fellow students. She had never bothered to look at it. The very thought of the page existing made her feel sick to the stomach.

"Elsa...you didn't answer?" Anna prodded.

"Yes, Anna, I have heard about the burn book page. What about it?"

Anna sighed. "Hans, he posted on it. He's telling people that we slept together and that I'm bad in bed. I had a look earlier."

She let out a deep breath and pulled her sister closer to her. She could feel her heart breaking for her. She'd had a bad feeling about Hans all along, but had held off because Anna seemed to be so keen on him. Now, her bad vibe had turned out to be justified and her sweet, caring baby sister had been hurt in the process. She couldn't believe it could be so bad though. Breaking her heart and trying to force himself on her was one thing, but to then try and publicly humiliate her - that was just despicable.

* * *

The drive to their university had been sombre. Anna had been busy answering calls, text messages and private facebook messages from her concerned friends. To her disappointment, Anna had decided to withhold the information from their parents for the time being. She claimed that she wanted to try and deal with it on her own without troubling their parents. Elsa had reluctantly agreed, although had made a point to tell her sister to take screenshots of Hans' post in case it came in useful later. She had remained quiet for most of the ride in order to prevent her emotions from adding to her younger sister's woes.

Upon arriving at uni, Elsa insisted on walking Anna to her first class. Draping a protective arm around her sister, they began making their way through the campus. Taking care to ignore the curious stares of other students.

"Hey, Elsa, Anna," a voice called from behind them.

Automatically she tightened her grip on Anna before turning around. She felt herself relaxing as Kristoff came into view, his face lighting up as he he approached them.

"Hi, I just wanted to see you were after yester." he paused as his eyes flicked over Anna's reddened face. "Wait, Anna are you okay?" he asked.

"Never better," Anna replied. "Best day of my life so far."

Frowning, Elsa mouthed 'Boy troubles,' to Kristoff. She watched as he made a step forward as if he wanted to say something before stepping back and shaking his head.

"Kristoff, are you okay?" she asked

"Oh, yeah," he mumbled, blushing. "I was just… I just...I was going to ask if Anna wanted me to walk her to class."

Pausing, she turned to look at Anna and gave her shoulder a light squeeze. "Anna?" she probed. "I do have to get going. What do you say?"

She heard Anna let out a sniff. "I guess. Wait aren't you the guy with the photo's of the dog on his folders?"

Kristoff nodded. "Yeah, that's my dog, Sven."

"What sort of dog is he?" Anna asked as she broke out from Elsa's grip.

"He's a mutt," Kristoff stated.

"Does he do any tricks?" Anna probed. "Like cool tricks"

"I guess. He can talk does that count?" Kristoff shrugged.

"No way can he talk," Anna scoffed.

"Well he doesn't 'talk' as in human talk, but he can bark on command," Kristoff explained. "Anyway, can we walk and talk? I have to get to my own class in a few minutes."

"Oh, sure," Anna blushed. "See you, Elsa," she said, waving.

Elsa watched as Kristoff kindly took Anna's backpack and swung it over his shoulders as they walked in the direction of Anna's class. She noticed the way they appeared to talk animatedly, no doubt still talking about his dog and smiled. She couldn't help liking Kristoff. He seemed like a bit of a loner, but kind and genuine. The fact that he was clearly very smitten with her sister was a bonus.

Turning on her heels, she headed in the direction of the library with the intent on getting some study done. However, the loud rumble coming from her stomach reminded her that she hadn't had a chance to grab breakfast that morning. She decided to head towards the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat.

Entering the cafeteria, she was relieved to find it practically empty with only a few other students scattered around the tables. Walking up to the counter, she selected a coffee and a croissant and settled herself down to enjoy her meal. After she had finished, she stood up and piled the trash onto a tray before moving towards the nearest bin.

"Yeah, the little slut was pretty easy. It's just a pity that she wasn't as good as I had hoped she would be," boasted a male voice.

Elsa shuddered and shot a look of disgust in the direction of the voice. Her eye fell on a group of young men gathered around a table. She could hardly believe the nerve of some people, talking with such disrespect about another person and about a private act as well. Tightening her grip on her bag, she trained her eyes on the exit.

"I'm just warning you guys, don't even bother with that Anna chick," the boastful male continued, snorting derisively. "If I'd have known she would be so bad, I'd have not bothered wasting the money to take her out the night before."

Elsa could feel her blood boiling as the group of boys began to laugh. Turning her head, she focused her attention on the group and recognised the ringleader from Anna's Facebook. Angrily she stormed over to the table to stand in front of the disgusting man

"Let me guess, you're Hans," she spat.

The auburn haired male looked at her in amusement. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure," he purred. "I'm sure I'd remember a beautiful young woman like yourself," he winked.

Elsa shuddered. The nerve of this guy was unbelievable. "Oh it's no pleasure," she snapped. "The name is Elsa, Elsa Blanchard. I believe you were just spreading complete and utter lies about my sister, Anna."

Hans leaned back in his chair and clasped his arms behind his head. "Elsa," he drawled, smirking at his friends. "I'm afraid if you want to ask me out on a date that my schedule is all booked out for this week. Although, I could probably fit you in some time next week."

The men surrounding Hans burst out into loutish laughter. Elsa felt her face flushing with anger. "Listen here, Hans," she snarled. "You and I both know that nothing happened other than you attempted to force yourself upon my sister. However, I swear on my life if you continue to spread your vile lies about Anna you, will regret it."

She spun around and stormed out of the cafeteria. Behind her, she could hear the group snorting with laughter as Hans opened his mouth and muttered something. She shuddered, making a mental note to encourage Anna to report Hans behaviour to the guidance counsellor. The thought of other women being subjected to his behaviour made her sick to her stomach.

* * *

Elsa sighed and switched off the last of the lights in the flagship store. After a long and tiring day, she was looking forward to heading home. Aside from the early start and the unpleasant interaction with Hans, her day hadn't been too bad. For one, Jack had failed to appear at university which had been a welcome relief after the previous days. The other positive had been that work had been pleasant. They had seen a steady stream of customers up until the last hour when it had slowed down, enabling her to send her colleague home a few minutes earlier than rostered.

After double checking that she had locked the store, she set off. The cool night breeze was a welcome relief after spending most of the day indoors. She huddled against the walls of the buildings as she placed the store keys in her handbag. Around her she could hear the sounds of couples laughing as they wandered in and out of the cafeteria's and nearby cinema complex. Picking up the pace, she headed towards the deserted parking bay. She could see a few cars, but not as many as when she had arrived for her shift. Shivering, she reached into her handbag and fumbled for her car keys.

She had just pulled her car keys out when she felt herself being grabbed from behind. A second later and a hand had covered her mouth, silencing her. She felt her heart racing with fear. The perpetrator moved her roughly towards her car before spinning her around and pushing her forcefully to rest against her own car. She looked up and found herself staring into the eyes of her attacker as he removed his hand from her mouth.

."Hans!" she gasped, watching as he grabbed her handbag and tossed it to rest out of her reach.

"Oh, Elsa," he sneered, placing a hand around her throat. "You never should have involved yourself in this little drama between me and your sister. You embarrassed me, Elsa, in front of my friends."

Elsa flinched under his touch. She tried to remember the self defence lessons her father had made her take as a child, but failed. She'd never been very good at them. Anna was always the one who excelled in self defence.

"It's okay though, I've figured out a way that you can make it up to me. One simple thing. You do it for me and all this trouble between us will go away," he sneered, running his knuckles over her cheek.

Elsa trembled, she didn't want to think about what was going to happen. Closing her eyes, she refused to look at him.

"Hey, get your dirty hands off of her," a voice shouted.

Elsa felt her heart rate steadying as Hans grip on her loosened. She felt a body step in front of her. Slowly she opened her eyes and gasped. Her eyes landing on Jack and his friend Jamie, who had placed themselves in between her and Hans. She watched as Jack zeroed in on Hans, pushing him in the chest and yelling at him, warning him to stay away from her. Nervously, she wrung her hands. She could feel the tears rolling down her face. She felt a hand on her arm and turned to spot Jamie standing beside her with her discarded handbag in his hands. Blinking, she took the bag.

She heard a loud curse word and looked up to see Hans picking himself up from the ground while Jack glared at him. She felt her breath hitch as Hans brought himself to his full height and for a minute she thought that he might react, but he didn't.

"This isn't over, Frost," he spat as he moved away.

"If you go near her again it will be over," Jack threatened. "Asshole."

She let out a loud exhale as Hans scurried away, leaving her with Jack and Jamie. She watched as Jack turned to face her.

"Elsa, are you okay?" he asked and placed a hand on her shoulder.

She shrugged his hand off. "Why is it whenever you are near me there's always trouble?" she snapped. "If you're expecting me to thank you for showing up again then you're wrong. For the last week you've done nothing but cause me trouble. Here's a newsflash for you, Jack, I didn't need your help, I could have handled it."

Jack's eyes widened as he took a step back to look at her. "Elsa, I.. forget it," he murmured, shaking his head. "Just forget it."

She groaned. She grabbed her keys and unlocked her car. She could feel the curious stares of Jack and Jamie as they watched her, but said nothing. Instead, she jumped in her car and put it in reverse before driving off.

She felt like she was on autopilot as she made the short drive to her home. Once home, she parked the car in the garage and slunk inside. She could hear the sound of her parents watching TV in the lounge room, but didn't bother to greet them. The last thing she wanted to do was see another person. She raced up the stairs to the safety of her room.

Stepping inside her room, she bent down to slip her shoes off and flung herself onto her bed. Only then did she allow herself to burst into tears. She grabbed at her pillow and pulled it to her chest. Her mind kept replaying the attack. She felt awful for snapping at Jack. After all, if he and Jamie had not been there then she may have found herself in an even worse state. Even worse was the look on his face when she had snapped at him. It was a look that she'd not seen from him before, he was hurt. Sighing, she resigned herself to apologising to him when she next saw him.

* * *

Jack stormed into his room, slamming the door shut before he flung himself onto his bed. He could scarcely believe the turn of events. Once again, he had managed to screw things up with Elsa. Only this time it hadn't even been his fault to begin with.

He had taken the day off from uni to take Emily to the orthodontist. He'd not long been home when Jamie had texted to invite him to go see a movie. As it turned out, the movie had been held at the cinema near Kingdom's flagship store. Jack had parked his car in the nearby parking lot and had spied Elsa hard at work when he'd passed by her store.

Jamie had filled him in on the situation with Anna Blanchard and Hans while they had waited for the movie to start. Unsurprisingly, the news had travelled fast around the students at university. Jamie had then told him of the rumours that Elsa had confronted Hans in the cafeteria Apparently Hans had then made a few smart assed remarks and had claimed that Elsa was clearly 'hot for him'. Jack had scoffed. He'd not had a lot to do with Hans, but from what he had seen, he didn't like. His behaviour of Elsa and her sister had only served to convince Jack that he'd been right in thinking the guy was an asshole.

The movie had finished later than anticipated and Jack had walked with Jamie back to the parking lot. They had been eagerly discussing their favourite parts of the movie when they had rounded the corner. He had been deep in conversation when he had felt Jamie grab his arm. He had looked up to see what Jamie was looking at and had felt himself go numb.

His eyes had settled on Hans pressing Elsa against her car while he leaned in. The fear that was written all over Elsa's face told him that it was definitely not a welcomed action. He had felt the anger rising in him as he leapt into action. He'd grabbed hold of Hans and had pushed him to the ground. He had been ready to beat Hans to a bloody pulp when something had stopped him. The sound of Elsa sobbing had caused him to reconsider. He didn't want to risk causing her further distress. Instead, he had settled for letting Hans go with a warning.

He had no idea what he'd expected to happen once Hans ran off. He had known that Elsa would likely be in a state of shock and had turned to face her in order to ask how she was. Instead of thanking him for helping her and protecting her, she had snapped at him. She'd then dismissed him and had driven off.

Her reaction had hurt him. Jamie had tried to reason with him and had told him that she was in shock and that she probably didn't even realise what she had said, but it had been useless. All Jack knew was that he had officially managed to piss off the woman of his dreams for four days in a row. The worst part was that of all the nights he wanted to be with her and to hold her close, it was tonight.


	8. Chapter 8

The sleek black car pulled up to the entrance of the grand hotel. Elsa could feel her palms sweating as she stepped out of the car. She took a deep breath and watched while her parents tipped the driver.

It was the day of the annual 'Arendelle Gives Back' party. The event was a chance for big businesses to get together to enjoy a light meal and drinks while donating to charity. It was one of the biggest social events of the year and the Blanchard's never missed it. Walt claimed it was the perfect opportunity to further promote the business, build connections and donate to a good cause. Elsa, on the other-hand saw the event as nothing more than a chance for over inflated egos to get together and try to outdo each other, all under the guise of giving

Elsa felt Anna come to a stand beside her and nervously shot her a smile. Slowly, she raised her head and affixed the usual smile she reserved for these events. She knew the drill. She was to follow her parents down the carpet and smile nilce, giving the impression that she was happy to be there. As the future CEO she was to always remain standing at her father's side, but never between her parents unless he beckoned her to do so. She was a businesswoman first and a daughter second. Every action of hers, from the way she held her glass to how long she laughed at a joke all reflected on the business and her father.

Slowly, she walked with her family down the stairs that led to the grand ballroom. Together they looked like the picture of perfection with the cracks that lay inside hidden from view. She had just stepped onto the floor when she felt her elbow being grabbed. Tilting her head, she gave her father a blank smile as he linked his arm through hers and nodded. She knew his pattern. They had arrived and now it was time for him to parade her around the room to 'socialise.'

* * *

They had been navigating the room for a good forty-five minutes. Elsa's heels were starting to hurt her, but she could never mention it. She had lost count of how many times her hand had been kissed and how many fake compliments she had been paid before the speaker turned the subject back to themselves. Without fail, the conversations were always the same: a fake attempt at a hearty greeting, a polite enquiry about the family with the expected boasting, a small mention about business success over the last year and finally, a bit of petty gossip. It only served to highlight how fake people could be. She would watch with shame as her father would ridicule someone with one person before moving on to speak to the subject of his previous ridicule with insincere kindness and fake compliments. They would then part ways, call each other 'friend' and make a promise to catch up all the while knowing that they would not see one another again until another event.

"Miss Elsa," a posh voice called, snapping her out of trance.

Blinking, she redirected her gaze and affixed her smile to turn to face the speaker. She had drifted off halfway through the latest conversation her father had shared with Hugo Valance, the owner of the Celestial Coffee chain. Of all the businessmen who frequented these events, Hugo Valance would have to be one she really disliked. His arrogance over his popular coffee chain was through the roof as was his bragging about his son.

"Miss Elsa," he continued. "I was just telling your father about my son, Carlton. He is 24, captain of his football team, very social and drives a Mercedes. I really think I should put you in contact with him. I think you would make a great couple," he boasted.

She felt herself cringing slightly at the suggestion. She had heard of the young man in question. His 'social' behaviour was well known, as was his preference for a few illegal substances that were popular on the party scene in which he frequented. Needless to say, he was not someone she would willingly spend time with. "Thank you," she began. "However, I must decline your kind offer. I'm afraid that I am far too focused on my studies and career to consider dating at this point in time."

She felt her father pat her on the back and smiled. On the surface it looked like a simple, loving gesture, but she knew it was his way of letting her know that he approved of her answer. If he disapproved of her response then she would have felt her arm being gripped while he faked a cough in order to interrupt her.

"Excuse me, I must steal my sister away for a short time," Anna broke in, giving the small man a polite smile before leading Elsa away.

Turning, Elsa bowed slightly as the rotund man gave her one last smile before waving her off. She heard her father clear his throat as he moved to steer the conversation back to him.

"Thank you," Elsa whispered as she followed Anna to a corner.

"Not a problem. You looked bored out of your brain and I really do need to tell you something," she admitted.

Elsa giggled "Yeah I was. He was trying to set me up with his son again," she said, rolling her eyes.

"In that case consider me your guardian angel," Anna replied with a mock curtsey.

Elsa smirked. She always felt grateful for Anna's presence at events. Her sister managed to make them a tiny bit more bearable. "You said you had something to tell me," she prodded.

"Oh right," Anna replied, pulling out her phone. "So, I got a text from Punzie. She said that Flynn saw Hans earlier this morning and it looked like Hans had been in a fight. He had a few bruises and a split lip."

Elsa paused while she contemplated how to respond to the information. She hadn't told anyone else about the interaction she'd had with Hans on the Thursday night, least of all Anna. Although, she was aware that Anna knew of her altercation with Hans from the cafeteria. To her knowledge, the only people who knew of the latest incident were Jack and Jamie. She recalled that the exchange between Hans and Jack had been heated and reasoned that with his 'stellar' personality, it was entirely possible that he offended people on a frequent basis.

She gulped. She could feel her sister's eyes on her, waiting for her response. Nervously, she looked around and spotted a waitress carrying a tray coming their way. Raising her hand, she signalled the waitress over and took one of the glasses of wine on offer. Turning back to Anna, she gracefully excused herself, citing that she had to return to their father's side. To her relief, Anna agreed and bid her farewell.

She moved through the crowd with grace and took her position beside her father once again. He had moved on in the time that she had spent with Anna and had struck up a conversation with John Marten, the CEO of a successful bakery chain. Blushing, she bowed her head as she caught wind of the topic of their discussion.

"Yes, Elsa is a delight. She consistently achieves top grades and is a great employee. I know that she will make a wonderful CEO when the time comes for her to takeover," Walt boasted.

Beaming, she turned to face her father. "I fear you speak too highly of me at times, Dad," she said politely before taking a sip from her wine.

"Such manners and grace. Elsa, I feel like I should be hiring you to teach my own children about manners," John smiled, extending his hand to Elsa to shake.

Blushing, she took the man's hand and shook it. "I'm afraid, Mr Marten, that my behaviour can not be credited to me. It is all my parent's teaching," she responded.

"That may be so, but when I look at these events I am always surprised to find the vast range of behaviour that some seem to find acceptable," he began. "Take the young lad over there, the one wearing sunglasses indoors and a sullen expression. If you ask me, that sort of behaviour is disgraceful."

Elsa followed the direction of the CEO's eyes and gasped as her eyes landed on Jack. She noted the way he was slumped over to his side while he stood beside his uncle. Her eyes travelled up to his face and she saw that he was indeed wearing sunglasses while indoors. However, most surprising was that his normally cocky smile had been replaced with a frown.

"Guardians," Walt growled and tightened his grip on her. "I should have known. The entire family is corrupt. I had the misfortune of having a run in with the boy during the week."

Elsa stood numbly and listened as her father and John continued to discuss the Guardian's company and the family. She heard the disbelieving scoffs and the scorn in their tone as her father relayed the events of Jack's visit to their store as well as the altercation that she'd had with Jack in the library.

"I don't believe it!" John gasped, nodding his head in the direction of Jack and his uncle. "The boy has dared come here looking like that!"

Turning her head, she fixed her eyes on Jack once again and noted, with horror, that his sunglasses had been removed to reveal fresh bruising surrounding his left eye.

"Absolutely ludicrous. You would think that they'd leave him at home. The nerve of them, allowing him to come to a function such as this with a black eye," scoffed Walt. "To think that they consider that boy to be worthy of taking over their business."

Gulping, she excused herself and made her way to the bathroom. She turned and shot a look at Jack, catching his gaze before she exited the ballroom. She walked down the hall and pushed herself into the ladies room. To her relief, the room was empty. Taking a deep breath, she stared into the mirror. Her mind was racing with the news that Hans had been beaten up and then seeing Jack with obvious bruising. She knew that the two young men had exchanged heated threats on Thursday night and knew that with the rate the gossip had spread, that Jack would likely be aware of the situation that had gone down between Hans, her sister and herself. She couldn't help wonder if the bruises that each boy wore had been put there by the other. Shaking her head, she pushed the thought from her head. Jack played hockey. It was possible he had hurt himself during a recent match.

Taking a deep breath, she let herself out of the bathroom.

"Hey," the sound of an increasingly familiar male voice greeted her as she left the room.

Glancing up, she found Jack leaning casually against the wall while he fiddled with the buttons on his suit jacket. Her eyes glanced over his bruised eye before reaching down and falling on his grazed knuckles.

"Did you..did you follow me?" she asked, cocking an eye at him.

"What? No" he grinned. "I just needed to go to the bathroom as well. I figured that I may take the time to catch my breath before going back in and having to pretend that I'm not bored senseless.

She stifled a laugh before flicking her eyes down to look at her feet. "Jack, I'm..I'm sorry for Thursday night," she whispered. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. It wasn't your fault and if you hadn't been there...I...I don't know what could have happened."

She felt his hand reach out as he tilted her chin to face him. "It's okay. I'm over it. You had a scare and were in shock," he reasoned. "I just wanted to make sure you were safe."

Blushing, she dropped his gaze. "I...err...I have to go," she stammered.

Turning, she made her way down the hallway. She heard Jack shuffling behind her as he followed her. Rounding the corner, she could hear the sound of a heated argument coming from outside the ballroom. Lifting her head, she felt her eyes widening as she caught sight of her father and Nicholas North locked in a heated conversation while their wives stood to their side.

"All I am saying is that you need to tell your poor excuse of a nephew to stop bothering my daughter," hissed Walt. "I will not have my daughters being harassed and if it continues then I will encourage her to take further action."

Gulping, she rushed to her mother's side. She wrapped an arm around her mother as her father continued to glower at his business rival.

"You need to stop insulting my nephew. He is a fine young man and I am very proud of him. He has honour, values and a good, kind heart," the large man responded.

"If he's a 'good man' then why is he sporting a black eye at an event such as this? Really, North, you could at least pretend to have some sort of class." sneered Walt as he trailled his eyes over Jack.

"Walt please, lets just go back inside. This behaviour does not look good for anyone, least of all not in the lobby of a hotel such as this," Lillian begged as she reached to place an arm on her angered husband's elbow.

She watched in horror as her father and Jack's uncle continued to exchange heated words. Neither man appeared willing to back down. Biting her lip, she snuck a glance at Jack as he stood between his uncle and aunt. She watched as he met her gaze before breaking it and running a hand through his tousled hair.

"Dad, please. Lets just go back inside," she begged, placing her hand on his elbow.

"Elsa, please. This is a matter of principle. This boy has been nothing but trouble for you and for our business during the week," Walt responded, shrugging her hand off. "I think I am well within my right to suggest his 'guardian' be a better influence on his nephew. After all, maybe if he had been more responsible, than the boy wouldn't be standing here with bruises looking like a common thug."

"That's enough." North boomed. "My nephew is many things, but he is not a 'thug'. I don't know the circumstances of the fight, but he has assured me that he had a good reason."

"Oh? Is that so," Walt taunted and turned to face Jack. "Well, in that case. I'm all ears, do tell me, boy. What could possibly be a good reason for getting involved in a fight?"

She watched as Jack stepped forward and focused his eyes on her father. "For your information, I was defending someone who I happen to care about," he replied, flicking his eyes to catch her gaze.

She gasped. Taking a step back she turned to face Jack. 'Hans?' she mouthed. She watched as he nodded in confirmation. She could feel her heart pounding as the news sunk in. Jack had fought with Hans.

* * *

**A/N- So, we finally had Elsa apologise for snapping at Jack. Poor girl was in shock, she's been through a lot over the last few days, and the attack from Hans was the last thing. Still, am so proud of her for apologising to Jack for snapping at him- poor guy did help her out ;).**

**Thank you all for your reviews. So many lovely reviews. I love to read what you have to say. Really puts a smile on my face. I hope to have another chapter up for you by the end of the weekend.**

**Keep Calm and Ship Jelsa :)**


	9. Chapter 9

The ride home from the charity event had been tense. Elsa's father had spent the majority of the ride muttering about the altercation with Nicholas North and Jack. Her mother had tried to reason with him and had pointed out that his own behaviour was equally as bad, but he'd brushed her off.

Once home, she had watched as her parents had stood facing each other and had seen the stony expression on her mother's face. It had been obvious that the discussion about the charity event was far from over and she had no intention on sticking around to see it. She had retreated to her room after claiming that she had assignments which required her attention. To her relief, her parents had been only too happy to excuse her.

In the privacy of her room, she had booted up her laptop with the intention of studying. However, her mind had been too distracted and she had soon found that it strayed back to the events of the afternoon. She had kept replaying the way Jack had looked into her eyes when he had accepted her apology and the softness that had been in his voice when he had said he wanted to make sure she was safe. Then there was the way he had spoken to her father. His voice had been strong and full of determination when he'd stated that he had got the black eye by defending someone he cared about. She could have sworn that he had purposely looked at her when he had said it.

She had put the clues together and had soon realised that Jack had been the one who had fought with Hans. He had been quick to confirm it when she had mouthed it. What she couldn't figure out was _why_ he had been in a position where he had been forced to resort to physical violence with Hans. She had found herself wondering whether the fight had been in any way related to what had happened to her and Anna, but had brushed it off and had told herself that she was being silly.

The only thing that had been certain was that she was no longer able to figure out Jack Frost. She was so used to his normal lazy, cocky and infuriating self. At least when he acted like that, she knew where she stood with him. Her last two interactions with him had left her confused. He had suddenly displayed a kinder, more caring side to himself

* * *

By the time Monday had rolled around, Elsa had been ready for the fresh start to the week. Her previous week had been a rollercoaster of emotions and she had been looking forward to getting back to class and putting the events of the last week behind her.

Her morning class with Weselton had gone by without a hitch. To her surprise, Jack had not only managed to arrive on time for class, but he had also left her alone. She had been worried that he would approach her and try to talk to her about the business event, or the Hans situation, but he hadn't. Instead, he had simply offered her a small smile, which she had reciprocated.

After her morning class had finished, she had made her way to the library. She had been plagued with guilt ever since the fight with Jack when she had fled from the group project and had decided to try and make amends by working on some notes.

To her relief, the library had been quiet when she had entered. She had set herself down at a table in the corner and had pulled her books and note-paper out. She had thumbed through the books and had stopped every so often to take notes. The peace of the library proved useful and she had been able to get a few pages of notes down within the first hour.

She was so engrossed in her reading, that the firm hand gripping at her shoulder startled her. Gasping, she felt herself being pushed roughly against her chair. Glancing up, she found herself facing a bruised Hans, who was flanked by two large men. She felt her eyes widening as he settled himself in the chair opposite her and leaned in.

"Hello, Elsie," he drawled

She felt her heart rate pick up as he stared at her. His eyes appeared cold and unblinking.

"H...H..Hans," she sputtered.

"Oh, Elsa," he sneered. "I do apologise for the way we were so rudely interrupted the other night. That Frost boy is nothing but a menace."

Gulping, she looked at him. She could feel the panic rising in her as she wrapped her arms around her waist. "Normally, I would agree that Jack is an annoyance. However, in this situation I find myself rather grateful that he was around," she stated.

She heard Hans let out a derisive scoff before he leaned in closer to her. Shuddering, she leaned back, trying to create as much distance between herself and the threatening male as possible. "Ah, but, Elsa. Now we have a problem," he growled. "You see, if Frost had just left me alone that night then all this...tension between us would have disappeared. However, he didn't. He was quite rude in the way he interrupted our little 'chat.' If that in itself wasn't bad, he then had to go one further."

"H...he did?" she stammered.

Hans chuckled before turning to shoot an amused look at the two men beside him. "Why yes, he did. You see, I was out for a lovely stroll on Saturday afternoon. I was just enjoying the day until I happened to run into Jack Frost," he spat.

"Y..you did?" she asked as she ran a finger through her hair.

"Elsa, don't interrupt people, it's rude," Hans scolded. "Yes I ran into him. That is where the trouble started. You see, it seems that Mr Frost took offense to the conversation that you and I were having. He seemed to have the idea that I was 'scaring you' and that you were at risk of being hurt. So, I exchanged a few words with him and then he just went crazy."

"Crazy?" she repeated, biting her lip. She had no idea what he was playing at, or what he was building up to, but she could sense that it wasn't good. Silently, she prayed that by playing naive he would give up and leave her alone.

"Absolutely insane, my friend," Hans went on. "He then struck me. You can probably see the evidence of his punches on my poor face. He also kicked me in the ribs a few time."

"I'm sure that your injuries will heal in no time," she muttered, before lowering her head.

Hans snorted. Reaching over, he placed his hand under her chin and forced her to look at him. "Trouble is, Elsa, that what should have been a simple issue between your sister and I, has grown to include you and Mr Frost."

She pulled her chin out of his grasp and glared at him. "It has?"

"Indeed," he drawled. "Apparently Mr Frost feels the need to protect you and your sister. I don't know why he feels that way, I mean it's well known that your families are less than friendly. Anyway, the point is Elsa, that I do not like the way that I have been treated by your sister, yourself and now, Mr Frost."

She cocked an eyebrow as she stared at him. "You, don't like the way that we have treated you?" she repeated sarcastically.

"Absolutely not," Hans snarled. "I don't like being humiliated or assaulted, Elsa. Let this be a warning to you. Any more trouble from you or your sister and the next time I get to you, I'll make sure that your pathetic little guardian isn't around to protect you."

Tightening the grip on her waist, she stared at him. She watched as he rose to his feet and pushed his chair out the way. Turning to the guys behind him, he snapped his finger. He shifted his attention to glare at her before dismissing her with a wave.

She waited for Hans and his friends to leave the library before letting out a deep breath. Hastily she packed her bag. She couldn't remember ever feeling this scared or conflicted before. Common sense told her that she should tell someone and make a formal report about his behaviour. However, his parting threat had left her fearful for her and Anna's safety.

Exiting the library, she found herself on autopilot as she headed in the direction of the cafeteria. She needed to speak to her sister, to warn her to be careful, but in doing so it would mean telling her about the events of Thursday night.

Entering the cafeteria, she scanned the room. To her relief, she couldn't see Hans or his friends. However, she did notice a familiar head of silver-white hair sitting at a table with a few other students. Suddenly, she recalled Hans' words and remembered that he had not only made a threat to her and Anna, but he'd also threatened Jack.

Tightening her grip on her bag, she strode through the tables to stand behind Jack. She waited as Jamie nodded his head to alert Jack to her presence.

"Elsa, hey," he greeted as he tilted his head to look at her. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

Biting her lip, she looked at him. "We need to talk," she said.

"We do?" he asked as he jumped to his feet and slung his bag over the shoulder.

Reaching down, she grabbed his hand and pulled him with her as she led him through the tables. "We do," she repeated.

She didn't stop moving until she had come across a less populated area of the cafeteria. Turning to face him, she couldn't help noticing his lopsided grin as he looked down at their hands. Frowning, she looked down and realised that she had not bothered to release his hand. She had been far too engrossed in her thoughts to realise that they had been holding hands. Blushing, she dropped his hand.

"Elsa, if you wanted to hold my hand, all you had to do is ask," Jack teased.

She let out a groan before rolling her eyes. "Shut it, Frost. I'm not in the mood for your jokes," she said.

Jack furrowed his brows and looked at her. "Hey, hey. I'll be serious, what's up?" he whispered, lowering his gaze to meet hers.

Sighing, she wrapped her arms around her body. "Hans," she whispered. "He came to see me in the library with two guys. He..uh...he..he - "

"Elsa, did he hurt you?" he asked gently, placing his hand on her arm.

She shook her head. "No he didn't. He just made a threat," she admitted.

"He what?" Jack shrieked, recoiling his hand from her arm.

She nodded. "He basically said that if there was anymore trouble from Anna or I, that he would make sure that you weren't around to protect us next time," she shivered.

Jack took a deep breath. Looking at him, she could see the scowl on his face. "Elsa, I...I -"

Jack, I need to know what exactly happened between you and Hans on Saturday," she demanded. "Because he has just taken what was already a bad situation and made it worse."

Jack paused for a moment before moving his hand to rub at his neck. "Ok," he agreed. "I'll tell you. Though, we should probably sit down first."

She nodded. Looking around, she found a small table and pointed him towards it. She was just about to head towards the table when the sound of his phone ringing cut through the silence. Instead, she waited patiently while he fumbled with his phone and answered it. She watched as his face frowned and he let out a few comments of agreement before ending the call and sliding the phone back into his jeans pocket.

He let out a loud sigh and looked at her. "Elsa, that was my sister's school. She's not well and there's no one home. I have to go collect her and take care of her," he explained. "We do need to talk about this situation though."

She nodded and gave him a small smile.

"Can we meet up later this evening?" he asked. "There's a nice little cafe in Kensington. Mariposa Cafe is the name. I can meet you there at 7:30pm," he dug into his bag and pulled out a piece of paper and pen and scribbled down the time and address before handing the paper to her.

Blushing, she took the paper and read the address. "I'll be there," she said.

"Okay, well in that case, see you later, Elsa. Remember that if you stand me up, I do know where you go to school," he said with a wink.

She nodded and watched as he rushed off. She turned to study the paper that he'd given her. To his credit, he'd been smart enough to choose a cafe a few suburbs away from her home. She let out a loud sigh and slipped the paper into her pocket.

**Authors Note- Thank you all once again for the lovely and thoughtful reviews. I'm going to try and have the next chapter out by the end of Monday Australian time. I'm heading to Melbourne next Thursday to see Wicked so my week is going to busy, although I still hope to have at least another 2 chapters out for you by the time I leave.**

**Until then Keep Calm and ship Jelsa.**


	10. Chapter 10

Jack sighed. Stepping out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist. His eyes glanced to the small clock that sat on the bathroom cabinet and he snorted. Somehow, he had managed to spend close to thirty minutes in the shower. Only half of that time had been spent on actual grooming and the last of it had been spent in a daze.

Despite having had a few hours to get used to the idea, he still could not believe the events that had transpired. He still found it hard to believe that Elsa had not only sought him out, but she'd held his hand while she had led him away and had then agreed to meet with him alone.

Opening the door, he padded across the hallway and into his bedroom. Although it wasn't a date, he couldn't help wanting to look nice for her. Searching through his wardrobe, he pulled out a pair of cargo pants, a white shirt and a black jacket to wear. Hastily, he pulled the outfit on and paired it with a pair of black sneakers. Stealing a glance in the mirror, he quickly ran a brush through his hair and spritzed some cologne on.

A small part of him couldn't help feeling worried that Elsa would stand him up and that he would be left sitting alone at the cafe looking like a loser. However, the logical side of him knew that she would be there. After all, a threat had been made against her and her sister, Anna. If there was one thing he knew about Elsa, it was that she was fiercely protective of her sister. If Hans had simply threatened her, she may have let it go. However, he hadn't he had extended that threat to Anna and in doing so he had awakened Elsa's protective nature.

Hans. Just the thought of the guy daring to threaten Elsa and her sister was enough to get his blood boiling. It had been bad enough what he had done to Anna, but having seen him when he had tried to attack Elsa on Thursday had made Jack furious. He had hoped that their fight on Saturday would have been enough to warn the guy off, but apparently it wasn't and now he had made things worse.

Shaking his head, he grabbed his wallet, phone and keys and slipped them in his pocket. He stole one last look in the mirror before exiting his room.

* * *

Elsa had nervously paced around her bedroom while she tried to psych herself up. She could hardly believe that she had agreed to do it in the first place. Leaving the house on a school night was risky at the best of times. Leaving to meet Jack was an even riskier move. If someone from work saw her, or if one of her Dad's business friends saw her and reported back to him, she would be in big trouble. However, she had been left with little choice. She had to know what had happened between Jack and Hans over the weekend. She had to protect Anna.

She'd let out a loud sigh as she resigned herself to the situation she was in. Leaning in, she had glanced at her appearance. She had opted to change out of the outfit that she had worn earlier. She had dressed casually and had paired her jeans with a white t-shirt and a light pink cardigan. Her long hair had been styled in a ponytail and she had applied some light make up before she'd left her room.

Racing down the stairs, she had found her mother with her head in a book. She had given the excuse that she was meeting with a fellow student to exchange notes. Fortunately, her mum hadn't cared. She had been far too engrossed in the novel that she was reading to be concerned. Instead, she had waved her off and had agreed to let her father know when he bothered to leave his study.

Slipping behind the wheel of her car, she couldn't help feeling nervous. Reaching down, she slipped her favourite CD into the stereo and adjusted the volume as she pulled the car out of the driveway. Her thoughts travelled back to the events of the day. Blushing, she remembered how she had grabbed for Jack's hand. She hadn't even realised she had done so until he had mentioned it. Then there was the way he had reacted to Hans threat and how angry he had been.

The sound of the computerised voice on her GPS system broke her from her thoughts. Shaking her head, she realised that she had reached her destination. She pulled her car into a small park and got out.

Glancing around, she couldn't help feeling surprised at the location that Jack had chosen. She had assumed that he would choose a glamorous, flashy cafe in a trendy area. However, looking around she could see no high end boutiques, no thumping nightclubs. Instead, he had settled for a cafe on a peaceful looking tree-lined street with only a few houses and a children's playground to set it apart from any other quiet suburban street.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and entered the small cafe. It appeared to be almost empty with only a few lone diners scattered around the table. Her eyes flicked towards a booth in the back of the room where Jack was sitting. Suddenly, she was struck with the realisation that they would be alone. It was highly likely that the other diners may assume them to be on a date. Blushing, she pushed the thought from her mind and made her way towards him.

The sound of her footsteps seemed to have alerted him to her presence and his head jerked up. She watched as he let go of the menu he had been reading and jumped to his feet to greet her. His blue eyes sparkled slightly as he met her gaze.

"Elsa, hi," he greeted.

"Hi," she smiled, reaching to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ears before sitting down. "Have you been here long?"

He shook his head. "No. I only got here a few minutes before you," he explained. "I've not ordered yet. I wanted to wait for you to arrive."

She gave him a small smile as she reached for the spare menu. Her eyes skimmed the selection on offer as her stomach growled. Blushing, she realised that she had barely eaten anything all day. Her mind had been too distracted with Hans threat and the meeting with Jack that she had been unable to contemplate eating.

"Hungry?" Jack asked. "I can recommend the desserts here. They also do a great burger as well."

She nodded. "A bit. I didn't eat a lot for lunch or dinner," she admitted. "I tend to forget to eat when I get stressed."

Jack smiled at her before raising his hand and signalling the waitress over. She watched as he ordered a vanilla slice and a Coke for himself before turning to look at her.

"Uh can I please have a slice of the chocolate- mint mud cake and a Sprite?" she asked, flashing the waitress a smile.

She waited for the waitress to write down their orders before turning to leave. Once they were alone, she turned to face Jack. She noticed that his lopsided grin had crept onto his face once again.

"How's your sister feeling?" she asked.

Her question seemed to take him by surprise as his mouth pulled into an 'O' shape before he recovered. "Oh uh, yeah she's fine," he chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "Turn's out my sister is quite the actress. She had a math test that she was unprepared for and so she faked illness to get out of it."

Elsa laughed. "You know, I'm pretty sure Anna did that a few times back in high school," she admitted. "I thought about it, but my dad would have killed me."

"Yeah I noticed you had a pretty good track record of attendance in school, not like me. I skipped loads of days. I was always keen for a day off," Jack laughed.

Raising her eyebrow, she looked at him. "How do you know that I had a good track record when you just claimed to have missed so many days?" she teased. "I could have been away on some of those days you missed."

* * *

Jack looked at her. He noticed the way a slight smirk had crept across her porcelain face while a stray strand of hair had escaped from her ponytail to frame her face, making her look even more endearing. Shaking his head, he resisted the urge to confess his long term crush. He had spent eight years hopelessly in love with her, he noticed these sort of things.

Sighing, he pushed the thought from his mind. He couldn't tell her, not yet anyway. She would think him to be a creep and would run. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the waitress returning to their table with their orders. Instead, he watched as she took her spoon and cut off a small piece of her cake and lifted it to her mouth. Slowly, Elsa chewed at her cake before emitting a small, satisfied moan of delight as she swallowed. Shaking his head, he directed his attention to his own food as he dug his fork in.

"Jack, can you please tell me what happened with you and Hans?" Elsa probed, crinkling her nose in disgust as she mentioned Hans' name.

Frowning, he swallowed a bite of food. He didn't really want to tell her, it would only cause her to feel even more scared for her and Anna's safety, but he had no choice. She had to know. "Well," he began. "I was on my way to meet Jamie at the lake when I saw Hans. I tried to ignore him, but he saw me and shouted something which I couldn't hear."

He paused to take a sip of his drink. He watched as Elsa nodded, biting her lip slightly as she looked at him.

"Anyway," he continued. "I went over to see what he wanted. That was when he started cussing at me, telling me that I was a pain in the ass and that I shouldn't have involved myself in his affairs. He then told me how I had apparently hurt him when I shoved him off of you," he snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Go on," Elsa urged.

Rubbing the back of his head, he looked at her. "I told Hans that he made it my business when I caught him trying to hurt you. I also called him a douche for that stupid post he made about Anna on that pathetic Facebook page."

"You saw the Facebook post?" Elsa asked softly.

Gulping, he hung his head. "Yeah, I did. I'm sorry. It was disgusting, but then Hans has always seemed like a douche to me. I'm just sorry that your sister fell for his faux nice guy act," he muttered.

Elsa frowned. "Yeah, I must admit, I sensed there was something off about him when I first heard about him. It was just Anna who seemed to think he was her Prince Charming,"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Oh he's charming alright. Just not in a good way," he muttered. "So anyway, Hans said some really awful things about you and your sister and I kind of lost it. I punched him and told him to stay the fuck away from you and Anna. I thought that was it and turned to walk away, but he attacked me when my back was turned. He kicked at the back of my knees which knocked me down and then kicked me a few more times before I got up and fought back."

Elsa gasped. "I'm so sorry, Jack. I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I...I don't want anyone to ever get hurt because of me," she cried. "How are your injuries now?"

He looked at her. He could see the concern written on her face as she looked at him. He watched as she leaned in closer, her blue eyes focusing on his own eyes as she studied the fading bruise which surrounded his eye. "I'm okay, Elsa," he admitted. "Honestly, I've had worse injuries from hockey. I'm more concerned for you and your sister."

Her eyes widened as she leaned back in her seat to look at him. "Jack, what exactly did he say?" she asked.

He gulped. "I...uh, Elsa," he stammered, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. "It wasn't nice."

"Jack, I need to know. I may not want to hear it, but I do need to know. I need to protect my sister," she said, trembling slightly.

Taking a deep breath, he lowered his gaze. He couldn't look at her. He didn't want to have to look at her beautiful face as he told her the words that would only serve to scare her. "He threatened you," he mumbled. "He said that because Anna refused him and you humiliated him in front of his loser friends that he was going to make you pay, to hurt you...physically."

He heard a loud gasp. Glancing up, he watched as Elsa curled herself against the back of her chair. "He...he..wants to...h...hur -" she stammered.

"I'm not sure what exactly he meant. I mean, he was kind of vague, but yes he seems to want to physically harm you," he said softly.

He watched as her eyes widened in fear and her body began to tremble. He could see the sign of tears forming in the corner of her eyes and gulped. He felt awful for telling her. He didn't want to be the one who had to scare her, to cause her pain. Shaking his head, he reminded himself that Hans had already threatened her and she was right, she did need to know for her own safety. At least now that she was aware, she could protect herself. Besides, he reasoned that he would always be around to protect her, even if she didn't realise it.

Grabbing a clean napkin, he reached across the table to hand it to her. "Elsa, I'm sorry," he whispered. "I never wanted to scare you."

Taking the napkin, she dabbed at her eyes before sniffing. "I..it's okay, Jack, you did nothing wrong. I'm just confused and scared," she cried. "I don't know what to do. I know that we should report him, but that will only cause more trouble and he did say that if Anna and I caused any more problems that he would make sure you weren't around to protect us."

He could feel his heart breaking as he watched the girl he was crazy in love with break down in fear. It didn't feel right that Elsa, who had been so feisty with him only a few days earlier, was now left vulnerable and frightened. Instinctively, he reached out to grip her hand. He expected her to shy away from his touch or to scold him, but she didn't. Instead, he lay their entwined hands in the middle of the table and traced soft patterns on the back of her small hand.

"Elsa," I know that you hate me and to be honest I don't blame you. I always seem to be reduced to a bumbling idiot when you're around. However, I can promise you that you and Anna are always safe with me. If you ever need my help then just call and I'll be there," he vowed.

* * *

Elsa blinked. Looking down, she caught sight of her hand as it lay held in Jack's larger, masculine hand while he traced patterns over it with his thumb. Any other time and she would have jerked it away from him, but not tonight. Something about tonight felt different. She didn't know if it was the emotions from the day and the news that he had told her catching up with her, but for once he was not annoying her. In fact, he was being quite kind and gentle.

"I don't hate you, Jack," she whispered. "You confuse me and at times frustrate me. You have also angered me and annoyed me, but I don't hate you."

Blushing, she watched as he jerked his head up to meet her gaze. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed his lopsided grin had returned to his face once again. There was definitely something odd about him. She couldn't help feeling like there was something that he wasn't telling her. Suddenly, a loud beep sounded on her phone. Shaking her head, she pulled her hand from his grasp and reached into her pocket for her phone.

She tapped at her phone and smiled as she read the message from Anna.

Anna: '_Kristoff asked me out! We're going out this weekend.'_

She felt her spirit lifting slightly. Kristoff was a nice guy and she had no doubt that he would be good for Anna. After all, he had already shown himself to be kind, sensible and caring. She sighed. She couldn't tell Anna about Hans. Not tonight, Anna was too happy. She couldn't run the risk of ruining her sister's mood by scaring her.

"Good news?" Jack asked as he leaned back against his chair and ran a hand through his hair.

She nodded. "Yeah it was. That was Anna, it seems that Kristoff has asked her on a date this weekend."

Jack grinned. "I know Kristoff. He's a great guy. He's quiet, but a really good guy. She's in good hands with him," he said.

She smiled and glanced at her phone. "I'm happy for her," she admitted. "I probably should head home. I told my parents that I was meeting with another student to go over notes."

She watched as Jack pressed his hands to his chest and turned to smirk at her. "Why, Miss Elsa, did you lie to your parents? You're a rebellious one."

Groaning, she stuck her tongue out at him. "I didn't lie. I just didn't bother to go into details about who the student was and what the notes entailed," she countered and winked at him.

* * *

Jack looked at her. Jumping to his feet, he grabbed the bill and ran to the counter. He turned to glance at her, smiling as she carefully bundled their empty plates and glasses into a neat pile. Smirking, he turned and slipped the waitress a $20 to cover their orders and pocketed the change.

"Jack, please tell me that you didn't just pay for me," Elsa said as she came to stand by his side.

Grinning, he turned to wink at her before heading towards the door. "Oops, my bad. Was I not meant to?"

Elsa shook her head. He noticed the smile that had formed on her face as she followed him towards the door. "I wasn't expecting it," she murmured.

Skipping ahead, he held open the door for Elsa and watched as she blushed as she passed by him. "I'll walk you to your car," he stated.

"You don't have to," she reasoned. "It's not far."

* * *

Elsa blushed as Jack fell into step beside her. "Thank you," she murmured and tightened her cardigan around her.

Silently, they made their way towards her car. She turned to glance at him and felt her cheeks heating up. He was so close to her. He seemed to be keeping one eye on their surroundings while the other remained fixed on her. She was right in her assessment. There was definitely something different about Jack.

Arriving at her car, she paused and turned to look at him. She noticed the way he stepped back as he watched her and how his hand had once again found itself to rest over the back of his head. Unlocking her car, she tossed her handbag to rest on the front passenger seat.

"Jack," she began. "I..I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I said to you before. I was wrong. I judged you and I'm starting to think that I may have been wrong about things."

* * *

Jack looked at her. He could feel his eyes widening as his hand fell from it's spot on the back of his head. He could feel the traces of a blush work its way up his neck and onto his cheeks.

"I...errr...you're welcome," he stammered. "I meant what I said. You are always safe with me and so is Anna. If you want, I'll give you my number. You can call anytime you want and for any reason. I'm always here for you."

He watched as Elsa reached into her pocket and pulled her phone out to hand to him. Grinning, he took it and punched his name and number into the contacts list. Blushing wildly, he handed the phone back to her. He waited as she scrolled through her phone and tapped it.

Chuckling, he dug into his pocket and pulled out his ringing phone. His eyes fell on the unknown number on the screen. He tapped the phone to answer the call and pressed it to his ear. "Hello," he greeted.

He grinned as he watched Elsa dissolve into a fit of giggles.

"Hi," she giggled as she held her phone to her ear.

"Elsa, hi. Can you excuse me for a minute? You see, I happen to be with someone who won't stop giggling in the background," he explained before hitting the button to end the call.

He tapped at his phone to save her number to his contacts list before lifting his head to face Elsa.

"Now I know that you didn't give me a false number," she said.

He watched as she slipped behind the wheel of her car.

"Jack?" she called.

Grinning, he moved to stand beside her opened door. "You called?"

"I did," she agreed. "I just wanted to thank you for tonight and for before."

He nodded and raised his hand to offer her a small salute before leaning down to close the door for her. He stepped to the side and watched as she gave him a small wave before starting the motor and pulling out of the park.

He waited until her car had disappeared from sight before allowing himself a small, victorious fist pump.

* * *

Elsa lay curled up under the covers of her bed. Her mind was racing as she thought back over the events of the evening.

The threat from Hans had terrified her. She couldn't help feeling frightened to know that someone wanted to hurt her and Anna. However, she couldn't help feeling that Jack had been genuine when he had vowed to help. He had already done so much in coming to her aide and then defending her and Anna over the weekend. Yet, he hadn't failed to offer his continued assistance to her.

While she couldn't deny that he was infuriating and annoying, she had also started to see a different side to Jack. She couldn't help wondering if there was more to him than she had initially thought. Another side to the cocky, frustrating, entitled rich boy that she had always viewed him as. After all, lately he had been kind, caring and a complete gentleman towards her.

Sighing, she rolled over and pulled the covers over her head. She didn't know what would happen in the future, or if Hans threats would fizzle out. However, she did know that for once she was falling asleep with a smile on her face thanks to Jack Frost.

* * *

Jack lay stretched out under the covers of his bed. He'd not been able to wipe the grin off of his face since leaving the cafe. He couldn't help but feel like he was getting somewhere with Elsa. Despite the grim topic and her obvious concern over Hans' threats, she had appeared to be more relaxed around him tonight. More importantly, he'd managed to hold a perfectly normal conversation with her which didn't end with her getting mad or frustrated with him. He'd even managed to get her phone number, something he never thought would be possible.

He sighed and closed his eyes. He could still hear the sound of her giggles in his head. He had never thought that he would ever be the one to hear her giggle, or to see the cute way in which her face lit up while she laughed. In his mind he could still feel the way her small hand felt so soft and the way it seemed to fit perfectly within his own hand. Even if they could never be anything other than friendly acquaintances, he knew that he'd at least been able to express to her that he would always have her best interests at heart.


	11. Chapter 11

Jack smiled. Hoisting his backpack over his shoulder, he slowly made his way towards the university library. It may have been his day off, but he had received a text from Elsa earlier asking him if he wanted to meet up with her, Allison and Eric to work on their group project for Professor Lawrence's class. He hadn't hesitated to respond and had told her that he would be there before asking her to meet with him outside the library.

Arriving at the library, he couldn't help being surprised that he had managed to get there before Elsa. He stepped back to lean against the library wall while he waited. A few minutes later he heard a soft cough. Grinning, he lifted his head to catch Elsa's gaze. His eyes flicked up and down, taking in her appearance before he broke into a wide smile.

"Hi," he greeted.

She smiled bashfully at him. "Hi, you wanted me to meet you out here?" she pointed out.

Blinking, he looked at her. "Oh, right..yeah," he remarked, running a hand over the back of his neck. "I just wanted to check you were okay coming here after..you know...yesterday."

Frowning, Elsa gasped as she took in what he was saying. "Oh no, Jack, I'm fine. Besides, you have pissed me off in the library as well and I still come here," she teased.

Chuckling, he bowed at her. "As I said, I aim to please."

Standing up straight, he watched as Elsa let out a giggle, reaching her hand up to cover her mouth as she did so. "Seriously though, Jack, I'm fine. Thank you for caring though," she said.

Grinning, he tightened the grip on his backpack. He nodded his head in the direction of the door. He watched as she gripped her bag and moved to follow him. Smirking, he skipped ahead to hold open the door for her. He blushed slightly as she brushed past him. Pausing, he scanned the room until he spotted the other two members of the group.

Leaning over, he tapped Elsa on the shoulder and pointed her in the direction of where Allison and Eric had set themselves up. "Do you think we owe them an apology for last week?"

Biting her lip, she turned to face him. "Hmm, maybe. You did kind of drive me to become one of 'those' people. You know the kind who storms out of a group project and leaves others in a lurch," she reasoned.

"And yet you're still talking to me," he teased as they made their way towards the table.

Beside him, he heard Elsa groan before she reached over to lightly shove him. "Don't get cocky," she chided. "Besides, I was out of line back then as well."

Slowly, they approached their two other group members. He stood quietly while Elsa apologised for running out the week before and took her seat. Blushing, he mumbled his own apology for having been late and for his role in upsetting Elsa. To his relief, Allison and Eric seemed to accept their apologies.

* * *

Jack yawned. Raising his head, he glanced at the rest of the group. They had managed to work diligently on their project and had assigned individual tasks as well as devised a plan for the finished project.

He glanced down to his own textbook and smiled. A strand of Elsa's long platinum-blonde hair had fallen to rest on his book while she had her head down over her own notes. Shrugging, he brushed it to the side, marvelling at how soft it felt under his fingers. He couldn't help feeling surprised with how relaxed she appeared. She was normally so reserved and nervous around new people and yet today she seemed almost at ease.

A loud growl escaped from his stomach. He looked up, grinning sheepishly when he was met by the amused faces of his fellow group members. Eric glanced at the clock and pointed out that they had been hard at work for the last three hours and suggested they go their separate ways. Pushing his chair back, he started to pack his books into his backpack. Pulling his phone out, he found a text from Jamie informing him that he had gone in with Fred and Lana and would be in the cafeteria for lunch, if he was interested. Pausing, Jack stopped to wave Eric and Allison off before firing a text back to Jamie to say he'd be there.

He glanced over at Elsa and watched as she slid the last of her textbooks into her bag. Reaching over, he lightly nudged her. "So, I'm heading to the cafeteria to grab lunch with some of my friends if you want to join me...us...I mean join us," he stammered.

He watched as Elsa paused momentarily before looking at him. Gulping, he steeled himself for the rejection that was about to come.

"I'd like that," she replied, smiling shyly at him.

* * *

Elsa smiled. She'd hardly recognised the sound of her own voice as she responded to Jack, telling him that she would join him for lunch. The look on his face as she had replied could only be described as shock. He'd then proceeded to look over her as if trying to check she was really there.

Giggling, she looked at him. "So, are we going to just stand here? Or are we going for lunch?" she teased.

Shaking his head, he looked at her and blushed slightly. "Right, uh yeah," he replied, swinging his bag onto his shoulders. "Come on, it's this way."

"Jack, I do know the way to the cafeteria," she giggled as she fell into step beside him.

He turned to grin at her. They walked in a quiet silence as they wove in and out of the path of fellow students.

"You know, I didn't expect you to say yes" Jack remarked as they entered the cafeteria.

"Well, if you don't want me here, I'll leave," she sassed.

"No, no, no," Jack stammered, a blush creeping across his face. "I mean, I wanted you to come. It's just I'm still not used to you talking to me. It's nice, I like it," he finished with a smile.

She could feel the hint of a blush creeping onto her face and looked at the ground. "It's okay, Jack. I was only teasing," she murmured.

Raising her head, she watched as the familiar lopsided grin appeared on Jack's face. Leaning down, he placed his hand on her arm and turned to point her in the direction of a table. Following his gaze, she recognised his friend Jamie and two other students. She nodded.

Nearing the table, she couldn't help blushing when Jack's friends looked at her before turning to look at Jack. She watched as they exchanged knowing smiles between each other. Biting her lip, she hung back while Jack pulled out an empty chair and beckoned for her to take it. Smiling at him, she took the seat while he moved to grab an empty chair from a neighbouring table and placing it beside hers.

Her eyes fell on the group. She watched as Jamie gave her a wide smile. Beside Jamie sat a tall guy with brown, curly hair and glasses, who she recognised from a few of his classes. To his side sat a pretty girl with shoulder length brown hair. They all appeared nice enough, but she couldn't help feeling nervous.

"Guys, I hope you don't mind if Elsa joins us. We were working on our project for Professor Lawrence's class," Jack explained. "I kind of figured she may be hungry."

To her relief, the group shook their heads. Nervously, she reached for a strand of hair and twirled it around her finger. She wondered if she should say something, break the ice, but was unsure what to say.

"Hi, I'm Lana," the girl spoke, clearing the air. "The guy with the curls is my boyfriend, Fred and you know Jack and Jamie," she finished and extended her hand for Elsa to shake.

Blushing, she let go of her hair and took Lana's hand, shaking it. She turned to give a smile to Fred and Jamie who greeted her. Opening her mouth, she tried to find something to say, but faltered. Instead, she sat back and listened as Lana broke the ice, telling her how Fred, Jack and Jamie were all on the hockey team which was how they had met.

"You know, it's really nice that you can join us today. Normally it's just me. I'm the lone girl amongst these three guys," Lana joked. "It can get a bit lonely."

Elsa blushed. She knew what loneliness felt like.

"Don't get too attached, Lana," Jack cut in. "I'm going to be stealing her away to come with me and find something to eat for lunch.

She flashed Lana a quick smile before jumping to her feet and grabbing her purse. To her side she could see Jack as he grabbed his wallet from his backpack before turning to wait for her. She followed him as he led the way to the front of the cafeteria and grabbed a tray. Carefully, she balanced a bottle of water and a plate of fries on her tray and moved towards the till. Cocking her head, she watched as Jack skipped ahead to pay for his own items before slipping the girl behind the counter a $10 and telling her it was to cover Elsa's lunch.

"Jack," she groaned and shook her head. "Thank you, but you do know that I can pay for my own stuff right?"

She watched as he fell into step beside her. "I do, but I'm going to be honest here. I figured if I paid for your lunch then you'd be less likely to refuse me when I asked to steal a few fries," he teased.

Shaking her head, she watched as he skipped ahead to pull out her chair. "After you, milady," he bowed. "Besides, now that I've paid for your lunch and pulled your chair out it would be rude of you to deny me a few measly fries."

She laughed and took her seat. She dug into her lunch and listened as Jack and his friends engaged in a light-hearted, jovial discussion. Nudging Jack, she offered her plate to him and giggled as his eyes lit up before he leaned down to swipe two fries.

She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so relaxed in the cafeteria without Anna or Punzie being present. She continued to listen to Jack and his friends as they joked around before being drawn into a conversation with Lana. Her previous shyness had disappeared and she'd discovered that both her and Lana shared a few things in common. Glancing up, she turned her head to meet Jack's gaze and smiled.

"Elsa," Lana's voice spoke, breaking her from her daze.

Blinking, she turned her head to face the girl.

"Fred and I have to go to our next class. However, I was wondering if you wanted to swap numbers. Maybe we could catch up some time,"

Blushing, she pulled out her phone and handed it to Lana. "Oh sure, I'd like that," she smiled.

* * *

Elsa sat nervously tapping away at her computer as she filled in her details. Looking at the screen, she couldn't help but feel like a rebel. To her peers, having a secret social media web page that one's parents didn't know about may be ordinary, however, to Elsa it was a big deal.

For her entire 21 years she had been the good girl that her parents expected her to be. She had participated in the sports that her parents deemed appropriate and had kept herself groomed the way her parents liked. She had even studied the course that her father had chosen for her. Yet, within a few short minutes she had created a secret Facebook account under the pseudonym of Elsa Kim. One that she hoped to keep a secret from her parents. She had already accepted Lana's phone number and couldn't help wondering if the two of them could become friends.

A knock on the door interrupted her from her slight rebellion. Hastily she hit exit, pulling up a work document just as Anna burst in the room.

"Elsa," she sang, flopping down on the corner of Elsa's bed. "We need to talk."

Grinning, she pushed herself away from her desk and moved to sit beside Anna on the bed. "Excited about your date?" she asked, despite already knowing the answer.

She watched as Anna's blue eyes lit up and her smile widened. "Yes! Oh my god, Elsa. You have no idea. I swear, Kristoff is so nice. I know he seems all quiet and grumpy, but he's not really. He's like a big softy. A big, grumpy softy. We've been talking for a while now and he's so nice, kind, sweet and his dog is sooo cute. He's already promised to introduce me to his dog!"

She smiled and nodded as Anna continued to gush about Kristoff. She liked the guy. From the few interactions she'd had with him, she knew that he was genuine in his feelings for Anna, which led her to believe that he would not hurt her like Hans had. Besides, Jack seemed to believe he was a decent guy and surprisingly, she had found that Jack was slowly starting to become someone she felt she could trust.

Anna's fingers snapping in front of her face forced her from the daze which she had apparently fallen into. Blinking, she turned to face her sister.

"Elsa, are you even listening to me?" Anna asked. "You kind of zoned out on me for a minute there."

Blushing, she twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "Oh sorry. Yeah, I agree. I think Kristoff is great and I feel much better with the idea of you going out with him than I did when you went out with Hans," she admitted.

She watched as Anna beamed at her before her expression changed into a slight frown. "Sis, can I ask you something?" she asked.

Biting her lip, she nodded. She couldn't help feeling alarmed at the sudden change in her sister's tone. "Uh sure. You know you can ask me anything, Anna, what's up?"

.

Taking a deep breath. Anna remained silent for a while and fidgeted with the ring that sat on her finger. A few seconds later, she spoke. "It's about Jack Frost," she admitted.

She gulped and lowered her gaze. "Go on," she whispered.

"Flynn said he saw you sitting with Jack in the cafeteria today. He said that you were sitting next to him and you were laughing. I'm just concerned you know, because of his reputation. He's not got the best reputation from what I've heard. Also, his family are untrustworthy, I mean they betrayed Dad all those years ago," Anna stated before reaching out to lift Elsa's chin to face her.

She pulled her head from her sister's grasp and looked at her. She could feel the anxiety rising within her, but told herself to remain calm. "Anna, relax. We were working on our group project for Professor Lawrence's class. That's why I went in to uni today. We had a study date along with the two other students in our group. After we finished, Jack asked me to join him at lunch to further discuss the project and I said yes. That is all," she finished.

"Oh, I see," Anna muttered. "Just be careful with him. Hans said he's an arrogant asshole and that he has a bad habit of breaking girls hearts and treating them like shit."

Raising her head up, she glared at her sister. "Anna, seriously. You don't even know him. I hardly know him and I can tell you that I'm starting to think I may have misjudged him," she stated calmly. "Besides, Hans is hardly someone whose opinions I value, especially after the way he treated you."

Pausing, she waited for Anna to speak up. However, to her surprise, she didn't. Instead she blinked and waved her hand to smooth at her hair.

"Also," Elsa continued. "We don't know exactly what went on between Dad and Jack's uncle. Even I don't know the full story and I'm the one being forced to become the next CEO."

"You're right. It's just, he hurt you. He made you cry last week, Elsa," Anna admitted and reached over to push a strand of hair from Elsa's face. "If he says or does anything to hurt you…"

"Then you will be the first to know about it and you can punch him in the face like you threatened to do last week," she vowed.

Anna grinned and leapt from the bed. "Damn right I will. If he ever makes you cry again I will go all kinds of crazy on him. He doesn't want to cross me," she threatened as she hunched down to demonstrate a few awkward martial arts poses.

Elsa chuckled and shook her head. "Okay, go on. Get out of here. I need to rest and you...you really need to practise those moves," she joked.

She watched as Anna moved towards the door, pulling it open and hovering in the doorway. "Night, Elsa, love you," she murmured before pulling the door closed behind her.

Elsa sat staring at at the closed door. "Love you too, little sis," she whispered. "You're wrong about Jack though. I was wrong about Jack."


	12. Chapter 12

The sound of screeching tires filled the air as the blue Subaru WRX drifted skilfully around the corner to cross the finish line. Fred pumped his first in the air triumphantly while the playstation controller dropped to the floor. "In your face, Frostbite, beaten on your home turf," he crowed.

"Shut it, Alfredo, no one likes a sore winner," Jack shot back, tossing his controller to Jamie who was laid back on the plush chair patiently waiting his turn.

Gloating, Fred reached over to pinch Jack's cheeks. "Aww, turn that frown upside down, Jackson," he teased. "Besides, if I remember correctly the loser has to go fetch the winner a drink. Get to it slave and don't skimp on the ice."

Jack groaned and slapped Fred's fingers away. Stretching his legs, he pushed the soft grey blanket aside and disentangled himself from the bean bag on which he'd been sitting. "I went easy on you, Pasta-boy," he smirked. "Last time we played you cried for an hour when I kicked your ass."

"Frostbite, Pasta-boy, remind me to thank my mum for giving me a relatively normal name. Also, I need to get the two of you a book on better insults," Jamie interjected as he moved to steal Jack's spot on the floor.

"She had to give you a normal name to make up for that thing you call a face," quipped Jack before poking his tongue out at his friend.

Smirking, Jack darted into the kitchen. He faintly heard the muffled sound of Jamie as he shot back a retort from the lounge room. Pulling open the cupboard, he found a large bag of potato chips and a plastic bowl. He settled them on the bench and moved to open the fridge, grabbing three cans of Coke. Ripping open the bag, he poured the chips into the bowl before popping one in his mouth. Grabbing the cans, he tucked them under his arm and made his way back towards the large lounge room.

As he neared the lounge room, he could hear the sound of Jamie cheering loudly. Grinning, Jack strode into the room just in time to hear Fred let out a loud moan.

"Not as cocky now are you, Freddy?" he smirked, tossing a can to his friends before setting the bowl of chips down on the nearby coffee table. A loud chuckle escaped his lips as the defeated man turned to face him, sticking his middle finger up in an act of mock frustration.

* * *

The sound of her phone ringing had interrupted Elsa and forced her to look away from the assignment that she had been working on. Hastily, she had reached for the small device. Her eyes had widened as she glanced at the screen to see Lana's name listed as the incoming caller.

Lifting the phone to her ear, she had taken a deep breath before answering. "H...hello," she had stammered. Her nerves had got the better of her and she had reached out to twirl a pen between her fingers as a distraction.

Lana's voice on the other end had been soft and friendly. If she had sensed Elsa's shyness, she hadn't mentioned it. Instead, she had launched straight to the point and had told Elsa how her boyfriend, Fred, was spending the day with Jack and Jamie and had left her alone. She had then gone on to inform her that she was heading to the mall and that she wanted to know if Elsa would care to join her. After a short pause, Elsa had found herself accepting the offer.

With less than an hour to get ready, Elsa had raced around the house and had thrown on a pair of dark blue jeans which she had paired with a simple long sleeve white shirt and a fitted black jacket. She had left her hair to hang loose with only a simple black band to keep it down and had managed to apply a light dusting of makeup before Lana had arrived to pick her up.

The twenty minute drive to the mall had started off quiet. Elsa had worried that it may have been a mistake, but Lana had been prepared. She had armed herself with simple questions and friendly observations and Elsa had felt herself relaxing by the time they had parked the car in the mall parking lot.

.

"So, now that you and Jack are friends does this mean you'll come sit with us some more? Maybe help balance the male- female ratio out " Lana probed as they browsed the clothes aisle of Target.

Elsa shook her head. "Are we friends, Jack and I? I mean I'm not really sure what we are," she admitted. Pursing her lips, she held up a simple purple dress and pressed it against her body.

Lana turned to look at her, a knowing smile on her face as she slid the belt that she had been admiring into her shopping basket. "I don't know if you class him as a friend," she began. "However, I do know that he's a nice guy and he cares deeply about you."

She could feel her cheeks heating up. Turning her head, she pretended to focus her attention on a selection of soft scarves that were hanging on a nearby rack. "I...err...it's complicated," she stammered.

Frowning, she replayed the question that Lana had asked and her follow-up response. She didn't know what the answer was, or whether her and Jack were friends or simply acquaintances. Her entire life had been calm and controlled. It followed a structured routine, one which didn't create waves or allow for drama. However, the last two weeks had seen her normally peaceful life turned upside down. She had been caught up in a rush of experiences which had left her confused. Suddenly, she had found herself starting to question the life she had lived for 21 years and the decisions that she had made as well as the ones that had been made for her. There was no denying that Jack had featured heavily in the recent upheaval and her thoughts on him were slowly changing, but that didn't make them friends, surely.

A pair of hands made their way to grip at her shoulders. Raising her eyebrows, she turned to find Lana beside her. "It doesn't have to be," she whispered.

She watched as Lana removed her hands from her shoulders and flashed her a smile. She had no idea what to say. Lana's boyfriend was Jack's friend. She clearly knew him better than Elsa did. Still, she had no idea whether Lana knew about the situation she faced at home, or the conflict that existed between her and Jack's family. Even if her and Jack did become friends, it could never last. Their family situation and their business rivalry would see to it that they remained adversaries.

"Hey, do you think this is my colour?" Lana asked.

Grinning, she turned to face Lana. Her eyes widening as she took in the sight of garish multi-coloured sequined beret that had found it's way onto Lana's head. She stifled a laugh as Lana proceeded to pout her lips and adopted a series of humorous poses.

"I...I…" she stammered between giggles. "If you like it."

"Ooh, Elsa, you must buy this," Lana shrieked as she brushed past Elsa to grab a soft blue scarf. "It would look amazing on you."

Beaming, she took the scarf from Lana and turned it over as she inspected it. After checking the price, she added it to her basket. "Well, it is a lot nicer than that beret you found," she teased.

* * *

As the hours wore on, Elsa found herself relaxing even more in Lana's presence. They had woven in and out of the shops and made a few purchases. Under Lana's insistence, the blue scarf had been purchased, along with the purple dress. The beret that Lana had tried on had been left abandoned on the shelf after Elsa had joked that it would be cruel for Lana to deny someone else from purchasing it.

"Elsa," Lana interrupted her as they sat in a booth with a coffee and a slice of cake in one of the small coffee shops that dotted the mall. "I'd like you to know that I've had fun today and I hope that over time we can hang out some more."

Blinking, Elsa wrapped her hands around her warm mug of coffee and looked up. "Me too," she replied with a smile. "It's been nice to do something that isn't work or study related."

"It must get tough," Lana added empathetically."I don't want to freak you out or anything, but I'm happy to be here for you. If you ever need to talk, hang out or even insult my fashion choices, I'm here."

She let out a small snort before gasping at the unlady-like gesture. Blushing, she raised her head and grinned at the amused expression on Lana's face. "My father would be so proud if he could see me now," she laughed. "I'm a good girl you know."

She watched as Lana pulled out her phone before scooting around the booth to sit beside her. "Well then why don't we get it on camera. Then he can share in our fun" she giggled.

She felt Lana throw her arms around her as she drew her closer before poking her tongue out and pointing the phone towards them. She let out a small snort as Lana pressed the button and captured the moment's silliness.

A few seconds later, Elsa's phone vibrated. Grinning, she pulled the phone out and swiped at the message from Lana. She let out a loud laugh as she caught sight of the photo Lana had taken. Her face was caught mid snort while Lana's tongue was poking out. She couldn't help smiling at the photo. It was similar to the sort of picture that Anna and Punzie took with each other, the kind that hinted at a close friendship between the subjects. Glancing up, she noticed the stares of other patrons were on her and Lana, but she didn't care. Not when she was having so much fun with her friend.

Settling back into the booth, she finished up her cup of coffee and signalled the waiter to bring another one over. She was just about to ask Lana if she was having a second cup when the sound of Lana's phone cut her off. She watched as Lana gave her an apologetic wave before excusing herself to take the call.

"So, that was Fred," Lana said as she slid back into the booth. "He's with the boys. They want to go see a movie and want to know if we want to meet them? He said that they can meet us here at 6pm and we can grab dinner either before or after the movie."

"The boys as in Jack? she asked, brushing a hand through her hair.

"Yeah, Jack, Jamie and Fred. Apparently they are bored of kicking each other's asses on video games and insulting each other. Now they want to annoy us," she laughed.

She let out a small gasp. "And Jack knows I'm here? That I'm with you?" she whispered.

She watched as a wide smirk crossed Lana's face and groaned. Burying her head in her arms, she mentally scolded herself as she realised how giddy and hopeless she had sounded.

Blushing, she turned to face her friend. "I didn't mean it like that," she protested.

Crossing her arms, Lana looked down at her. "Uh huh, sure you didn't," she teased. "Yes Jack knows that you are with me and that I'm inviting you. So, what do you say?"

Glancing down at her lap, she took a minute to compose herself before facing Lana. "Yes, I'll come."

* * *

Grinning, Jack watched as Fred hung up the phone. "So, what did she say?" he probed.

He watched as Fred made a show of sliding his phone into his pocket in an agonisingly slow manner before turning to face him. Groaning, he tapped his foot impatiently.

"Oh right," Fred grinned. "Lana, she uh, she said that she bought a new top and that she wants to get her hair trimmed sometime over the weekend."

Rolling his eyes, he watched as Jamie and Fred exchanged knowing looks. "And?" he probed, rolling his wrist as he urged him to continue.

Fred let out a loud sigh before shooting a grin at Jamie. "You better go get dressed, Frost, your girl's coming," he said. "Go make yourself all pretty for Elsa."

Smirking, he turned and raced up the stairs to his room. In the background, he could hear his friends making jokes and teasing him about his lovestruck behaviour, but he didn't care.

* * *

After deliberating for a few minutes, Jack had settled on a fresh pair of jeans with a new t-shirt. He'd been unable to lift the smile from his face when Fred had told him that Elsa would be attending. He'd known that she had spent the afternoon with Lana, but had not expected her to agree to the movies as well.

Less than thirty minutes later and he had found himself driving his friends to the mall. Despite having driven to Jack's house, they'd had to backtrack to Fred's house after he had decided that he wanted to leave his car at home.

"So, Jack. I'm thinking we should see a horror movie so that when you get scared you can bury your head on Elsa's shoulder," Jamie teased before turning to shoot a knowing grin at Fred in the backseat.

"Pfft, we all know it's not her shoulder that he wants to bury his head on," quipped Fred. "Am I right, Jackson?"

"Shut up, Alfredo," Jack grunted. Reaching over, he turned the stereo up louder in an attempt to discourage his friend's teasing.

* * *

Elsa watched as groups of people passed by her and Lana while they sat waiting in the cinema lobby. Nervously, she ran a hand through her freshly brushed hair.

She still couldn't believe that she had agreed to go to the movies, or that she was out in the first place. After telling Lana that she would join them, she had quickly made a call to her mum to let her know that she was going to be meeting with a few students from her classes. To her relief, her mum had agreed and had brushed her off. She had been too distracted by Anna who had been trying and failing to iron her shirt ready for her date with Kristoff.

Once she had hung up the phone, she had been dragged to the nearest bathroom by Lana who had insisted that they freshen up their make up and run a brush through their hair before the boys arrived.

"They're here," Lana announced.

Gasping, Elsa raised her head and blushed as she caught sight of Jack's tousled silver-white hair. She could feel the anxiety rising as he walked towards her and momentarily considered turning and fleeing.

Getting to her feet, she moved aside to give the guys room to join them. She could feel her cheeks heating up as Lana flung her arms around Fred's neck before planting a kiss on his lips. Beside her, she heard a soft cough and turned to notice Jack standing next to her, a slight tinge of red dotting his own cheeks.

"Hi," Jack whispered, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. "So where do your parents think you are tonight?"

She let out a small laugh and turned to face him, noting how his blue eyes had been partially hidden behind a strand of hair which refused to sit neatly. "Oh, well I just told Mum that I was meeting with some students from class. She didn't ask me to elaborate and I didn't bother to. I think she was more concerned with ensuring that Anna didn't completely ruin her clothes before her date with Kristoff," she smirked.

Jack let out a loud laugh and moved to tug on the bottom of his jacket. "Why, Miss Blanchard, you really are starting to become quite rebellious," he teased.

"Shut up," she hissed and reached over to playfully slap his arm.

She watched as his eyes widened in surprise before he turned to grin at her. Blushing, she silently chided herself for her behaviour.

A loud cough sounding behind her ear brought her back to reality. Straightening up, she turned to face Jamie who was looking between her and Jack with his eyebrow raised. Frowning, she flicked her eyes to her side where Jack stood grinning wildly.

"How about we decide on a movie first and then you two can go back to flirting with each other," Jamie suggested and gestured to her and Jack.

"We're not flirting!" she sputtered in unison with Jack.

Blushing, she turned to meet Jack's gaze.

"Sure you're not," smirked Fred as he brushed past them towards the ticket counter.

* * *

Jack stretched back against his seat. His legs laid out in front of him in what he hoped would appear to be casual and relaxed. So long as his external image looked like he had it all together then he could pretend that internally he wasn't a bundle of nerves.

After selecting the movie and purchasing tickets, they had made their way to the sweets kiosk to purchase popcorn and drinks. Upon entering the cinema, he had held back while Elsa had settled herself in the seat next to Lana. He'd then shared a knowing glance with Jamie before brushing past him to take the seat next to Elsa.

She had turned to face him as he'd taken his seat and for a minute he had feared she would ask him to move, but she hadn't. Instead, she had simply flashed him a shy smile before settling back against her own seat.

He had waited until the lights had dimmed and previews had started to turn and offer her some popcorn. She had blushed slightly before bending down to retrieve the bag of sweets that she had purchased from her handbag. Sitting back up, she had held the bag out to him and smiled as he reached in to take one.

A slight tickling sensation startled him. Looking down, he noticed a few strands of Elsa's hair had fallen to rest on his hand as it lay wrapped around his drink. His eyes lingered on the back of her chair while he debated about doing the cheesy 'yawn and drape hand over the girl's chair' move. As if reading his mind, he heard a loud yawn coming from Jamie before he draped his own arm over the back of Jack's chair. Groaning, he turned to glare at his friend who simply shrugged and told him that he should have done it when he had his chance.

On the other side of him, he heard a soft giggle and turned to find Elsa watching him and Jamie with interest. Blushing, he leaned over so that his mouth hovered by her ear. He could smell the scent of her perfume as it wafted through his nose.

"Remind me to not invite him along next time," he whispered.

Shaking her head, Elsa leaned down to grab her bag of sweets and handed it to him. "Here, offer him one of these," she whispered. "It may buy you a bit of peace."

* * *

Gripping her bag, Elsa slid into the passenger seat of Jack's car and smiled as Jack shut the door behind her before running to the driver's side and sliding in.

After the movie had finished, she had made her way to follow Lana back to her car, but had been stopped in her tracks. Lana had whispered in Fred's ear before turning to face her. Frowning, she had apologised before explaining that her and Fred had to go visit her sister who lived in a different suburb. As a result, she would have to catch a lift home with Jack.

"You know what's funny?" Jack asked as he turned the key in the ignition. "Jamie. He lives nowhere near Lana's sister and yet he insisted on catching a lift home with Fred and Lana," he continued.

Blushing, she turned to face the window as she realised that she had been set up. "I...errr…" she stammered. "Thank you for...for driving me home."

Beside her, Jack laughed. "It's okay. You don't live too far from me. I kind of get the feeling that this may have been set up," he admitted and ran his hand through his hair. "I had fun tonight though, with you. I'm glad you could join us."

She could feel her cheeks heat up as she turned to smile at him. If she were to be honest, she would have to admit that she'd had a lot of fun with Lana earlier and then with the boys. She had enjoyed their company. The way in which they interacted with each other, having fun, telling jokes and exchanging playful insults entertained her. Yet, despite their teasing she had noticed that they still treated each other with respect and kindness. It was obvious to her that underneath the jokes and light-hearted digs, they were a group of friends who truly cared for each other.

"I had fun as well. Thank you for having me," she admitted. "It was a good movie too."

"You're always welcome, Elsa," Jack offered. "You have my number. Like I said, call me anytime."

She nodded and turned to look at him. Her eyes flicked over his tousled hair and his blue eyes as they focused on the road. Suddenly, she was hit with a deep feeling of guilt and frowned.

"Jack, I need to apologise," she confessed and turned to face him.

She watched as he turned to face her with a frown on his face, but said nothing.

Nervously, she fiddled with the ring on her finger before continuing. "All these years I've misjudged you. I thought you were some arrogant, self-obsessed, rich boy," she paused for breath. "Now, I'm getting to know you more and I'm liking it. I just wanted to say sorry for judging you."

She turned her head to look out the window. Beside her, she heard Jack take in a deep breath before exhaling. Biting her lip, she steeled herself for his response. She wouldn't blame him for being angry at her. After all, she had just admitted to completely misjudging him and allowing her parent's bias to influence her own thoughts.

"That's okay, Elsa," he confided as he pulled the car to a halt. "No need to apologise. I know that your parents put a lot of pressure on you. Honestly, I've known you for eight years and I'm just happy that we're finally getting to know each other."

Blinking, she turned to look past him as she realised they had pulled up in front of her house. Turning to face him, she reached down and unbuckled her seatbelt. Grabbing her handbag and purchases, she pulled them onto her lap before meeting Jack's gaze.

"Thank you," she whispered. "For everything."

"You're welcome, Elsa," he smiled.

Blushing, she opened the door and let herself out of the car. She turned to wave at Jack before making her way up the driveway. She paused at the doorway and smiled as Jack honked his horn before driving off.

Letting herself into the house, she stopped briefly to greet her parents before excusing herself and making her way up the stairs to her room. She dumped her handbag and shopping bag on her desk before kicking her shoes off and pulling her laptop out and settling down on her bed. She had only just booted up her laptop when her phone beeped. Grinning, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She smiled as her fingers swiped to reveal the message from Lana.

Lana: '_My apologies for not being able to drive you home. Still, I knew Jack would get you home safe. I wanted to know if you would like to come join me and watch the boys play hockey tomorrow? Their match is at 2pm and is at the Brechin rink. I'll text you the address if you're keen _

Smiling, she read the message a few times. She contemplated toying with Lana and letting her know that she was aware that she had been set up, but thought better of it. Instead, she focused on the second part of the message. She had work in the morning, but she should be able to make it to Brechin university in time for the match.

E: '_That's okay, I'm home now. I'd love to come check out the hockey match. Check your Facebook, I'm sending through a request.'_

Pulling up the secret Facebook page she'd created, she searched through the search bar to find the profiles of Lana Mills, Jamie Bennett and Jack Frost before sending through message along with her friend request to let them know who she was and that it was a secret account. She'd barely had time to hit send on the next message when she received a notification to say that Jack had accepted her friend request. Blushing, she typed the first honest Facebook status that she had ever written as she let her small group of friends know that she'd had a great night.


	13. Chapter 13

Glancing at the clock, Elsa sighed. The morning shift at work had been agonisingly slow with very few customers. The only upside was that Anna had been rostered on to work with her and Collette. The shifts when Anna worked were always the most fun for Elsa.

"I'm bored. Is it always this boring?" whined Anna, swallowing a spoonful of chocolate ice cream.

"It would be less boring if you were out in the kitchen doing the dishes like you're supposed to be," Elsa hinted, crossing her arms across her chest as she looked down at her younger sister. "Besides, what have you been told about eating the ice cream at work?"

"I know, I know. Don't eat the supplies, don't let the customers see us eating the supplies and do not tell Dad" sassed Anna, poking her tongue out as she skipped past and narrowly avoiding colliding with Collette, who was carrying a tray of freshly dried bowls.

"Is it just me or is Hurricane Anna extra perky today?" Collette asked, shooting her head back to look at Anna who had cranked the radio up in the kitchen and was busy singing along as she dried the dishes.

Elsa chuckled and looked back at her sister, who had taken to twirling around the tea towel as if it was a dance partner engaged in a waltz. "She had a date last night," she explained. "By the way she was carrying on this morning, I would say it went well."

The older woman nodded. A knowing smile crept on her face as her eyes flickered between the two sisters. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the door opening as Walt and Lillian Blanchard entered the store.

"Elsa," Walt called, striding across the floor to stand in front of her. "You are needed to work this afternoon. I have a delivery coming in and I need you to be here to authorise it." he stated firmly.

Gulping, Elsa looked at the clock and noted that she had thirty minutes left of her rostered shift. She was due to leave as soon as she finished to meet Lana at the hockey rink. "I can't today, Dad," she whispered. "I've agreed to meet with some classmates from uni to go over a few notes."

"You didn't mention anything about this earlier," Walt pointed out.

Elsa glanced at him. She had tried to tell her parents earlier that she'd be out in the afternoon, but they'd been distracted by Anna skipping around the house and reporting on her date with Kristoff. "I err meant to, but I guess it err slipped my mind, what with Anna's news," she stammered.

He let out an exasperated sigh. "You're going to have to cancel, Elsa," he stated matter-of-factly. "Ring someone and let them know that you can't make it. I told the delivery guy that my daughter will be here to sign for it."

"I can't, Dad, I made a commitment. They are expecting me to be there at 2pm," Elsa cried, wringing her hands. "Can't you ask Anna?"

She could hear the sound of her father as he shifted his weight between his feet. Anxiously, she glanced up at him and noted the crease in his brow as he studied her. She sighed, he wasn't happy with her. She watched as he opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by the jingle of the doorbell sounding as more customers entered the store.

Shaking his head, he grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her behind the counter and into the kitchen. "Elsa, I have no idea what has got into you lately, but this sort of behaviour is not acceptable. I've noticed that you have been spending a fair bit of time out of the house with fellow students lately," he hissed. "You failed to work yesterday and you didn't work your usual Thursday night shift either. May I remind you that you still have your responsibilities to your work here as well as university."

Blinking, Elsa turned to face him. "Dad, that's not fair. I wasn't rostered to work on Friday. Also, you knew that I switched my shift from Thursday to Wednesday, so I haven't missed any shift. You know that I'm working on a project with three other students. I'm sorry that I can't stay longer today, but surely Anna can sign for the delivery. She is your daughter and an employee here as well," she reasoned.

Her father turned to glare at her. Opening his mouth, he was about to speak when he was cut off by the sound of Anna as she moved to stand behind him. "I'd be happy to stay back, Daddy," she chimed in and smiled at him. "I don't have any plans for the rest of the day and I could use the money."

She could feel her heartbeat racing as she turned to mouth her thanks to Anna. Turning her head, she studied the frown on her father's face as he pondered his response.

Reluctantly, he let out a sigh. "Alright, Anna, dear. You can stay back. I shall ring the delivery company and let them know that it will be you who will sign for the deliveries."

He then turned his attention back to Elsa and frowned. "Don't make a habit of this, Elsa. This behaviour is not becoming. I expect better from you," he snapped before waving his hand to dismiss her.

Angrily, she stormed out of the room and made her way into the office. Closing the door behind her, she pulled out the bag with a change of clothes that she had stashed in a cupboard. She tugged off her work shirt and replaced it with a t-shirt and a light blue hoodie. A quick brush of her hair and a spritz of perfume and she was ready to leave.

Opening the door, she found herself face to face with her mother. She noted the frown on her mum's face and sighed. "Mum, I'm sorry, but I need to go. I made a promise to be there. I know that I should have mentioned it beforehand, but my mind has been so caught up with work and uni lately and I simply forgot. I'm sorry."

The petite brunette woman nodded and pulled her in for a quick hug. "I know, I know. Besides, no one could have got a word in with the way that Anna was carrying on this morning. I'll talk to your dad. Go do your uni work," she urged, leaning down to press a kiss on Elsa's forehead.

Elsa nodded and flashed her mum a grateful smile before brushing past her to leave the store. She could feel the guilt rising as she stepped out the door and into the cool air. She wished that she could tell her mum about her new friendship with Lana and the changing status of her and Jack's relationship, but she couldn't. The risk of her father finding out was too great. She needed time to see how the new friendships would develop before risking the scrutiny that would come from her father.

* * *

Elsa pushed her way through the crowd of spectators at the Brechin ice rink. To her relief, she had managed to find the stadium easily and had arrived with ten minutes to spare. Within minutes she had spotted Lana and her face broke into a smile as she made her way towards the friendly girl.

"Elsa, hi!," Lana called as she took her seat in the front row. "Jack's going to flip when he sees you here with me."

Blushing, she turned to look at Lana. "We're just friends," she protested. "Besides, I'm all for supporting the uni's various sporting teams. I have school spirit."

"Ri-ight, school spirit," Lana teased and rolled her eyes. "Keep telling yourself that, Elsa, maybe one day I'll believe it."

Shaking her head, she focused her attention on the empty rink. A loud voice boomed over the speakers and announced that that the game was about to start. Furrowing her brows, she watched as the players skated onto the ice. She felt Lana grip her arm as she leaned over to point out Fred in his gurnsey before waving to him. Nodding, she watched as Fred proceeded to turn and poke the guy standing beside him.

She felt the heat rise on her cheeks as Jack turned to face her. Removing his helmet, he grinned at her before raising his hand to wave at her. Blushing, she turned her attention and frowned as her eyes fell on a gurnsey with Flynn's name written on it. Gulping, she felt her anxiety rising as she scanned the room for Punzie.

"Lana," she asked. "Do you know Flynn Rider and his girlfriend, Punzie?"

"Yeah I do," Lana replied. "Well, I know of them. I don't hang out with them though, why?"

Elsa gulped. "Punzie's my cousin and if she or Flynn see me then I'll be in trouble," she explained. "I don't suppose you know if Punzie's here do you?"

Lana shook her head. "Relax, Elsa, I've been here for a while. Punzie isn't here. I overheard Flynn telling one of the other guys that she has a hair appointment."

Breathing a sigh of relief, she turned to watch as the buzzer sounded and the players leapt into action.

"You know, I'm so glad that you came. It get's so boring being in the bleachers on my own while the guys are down on the ice," Lana exclaimed as they watched Fred slide the puck past the opponent's goalie to score a point for their team.

Chortling, she leaned back in her seat. "So am I. Although, I am going to hear about it later. My dad wanted me to work later than I was rostered and I couldn't because I'd already told you that I'd come. He wasn't happy with it. Even though my sister offered to stay back, he's still going to be angry with me."

Lana gave her a bleak smile. "I'm sure that he'll get over it. Besides, if you weren't rostered and you made plans then there's not much that he can do about it," she reasoned.

She sighed and turned her attention back to the game. She let out a small cheer as Jack managed to steal the puck from their opponents and passed it to a teammate who sent it flying towards their net before it was blocked by their opposition's goalie.

* * *

Jack groaned as the final buzzer sounded to signal the end of the match. Once again, they had managed to lose to Brechin University with the final score being 3-1. He had hoped that today would have been the day that they could beat Brechin. Knowing that Elsa was in the bleachers had filled him with an added sense of determination, but it wasn't to be.

Instead, he was left to shuffle off the ice and into the change room knowing that they had lost once again.

* * *

"Hey, Elsa," Jamie called as he walked out of the doors to join her and Lana in the emptying car yard. "Jack said that next time you come to a game he'll play better, but only if he gets a good luck kiss beforehand."

She felt her face heating up and bit her lip as Jack walked up behind Jamie with Fred by his side. "I thought you always gave Frost a good luck kiss, Bennett," teased Fred.

Stifling a laugh, she watched as Fred ducked out the way to wrap his spare arm around Lana's waist. She shifted her attention while the couple shared a kiss and turned to face Jack, who had placed Jamie in a headlock and was lightly rubbing his knuckles over his hair. Grinning, he turned to face her.

"A kiss is always welcome, but all the kisses in the world won't help this knucklehead," he laughed before releasing Jamie from his hold.

Blushing, she watched as Jack fell into step beside her with a shy smile on his face. "You played well," she confessed as they made their way towards the carpark. "Not that I'd know. I've never been to a game before, but you did look good out there...all of you did."

"We lost, Jack pouted as he kicked some snow off of his boots. "I was hoping that today would be the day we finally beat Brechin, but no. They always beat us."

"Winning isn't everything though," she pointed out softly. "I thought you guys looked great out there. Win or lose, you're a good player, I can tell."

She watched as a small blush appeared on Jack's face as he turned to smile at her.

"And we all know that I'm a great player," Jamie boasted as he pushed his way between them to sling his arms around their shoulders.

Jack snorted and turned to lightly push his friend off him. Turning to face her, he smiled. "I apologise for him, Elsa. He used to be a lot quieter. I fear that I've been a bad influence on him over the years," he said and winked at her.

Chuckling, she slowed to a halt as they came to a rest at Fred's car. "Hey, Frost, I forgot to tell you. There's a party at Lachlan's house at 8pm tonight. You coming?" Fred asked as he tossed his hockey bag in the boot.

Jack placed his finger over his lip before turning to grin at her. "I'll go if Elsa agrees to come with us," he said and nudged her.

She paused as the eyes of her friends turned to focus on her. Aside from her childhood years where parents forced their children to invite their entire class, she had never been one who was invited to parties. Anna had been to plenty throughout her high school years and had always raved about them, but Elsa had never found the idea of high school or uni parties to be inviting. However, the morning interaction with her father had left her feeling rattled and slightly bolder than she normally did.

Biting her lip, she turned to smile at her friends. "I'll go," she said.

She watched as Lana let out a high-pitched squeal before leaping to wrap her arms around her shoulders and hugging her. "Yay, it's going to be so much fun having you there," she blurted. "I'm sure that Jack can pick you up."

Jack nodded. "I can definitely pick you up. I would normally go collect you from the door, but I am pretty sure that your parent's would have a fit if I turned up on your doorstep. So, I'll park in front of your house at 7:30pm and will prank call you," he smirked. "Besides, makes you more of a bad girl this way."

Groaning, she reached out an arm and thumped him. Although, she couldn't deny that the whole idea was rebellious. Her parent's would hardly be pleased to know that one of the students that she had been meeting with was Jack, or that she was starting to enjoy the company of him and his friends.

* * *

Arriving home, it had appeared that her mother had managed to calm her father down. She had walked into the house to find him in a calmer, more rational mood. She had been heading for her room when he had called her to him. Bashfully, she had gone to him and had felt her eyes widening when he had apologised to her for his earlier attitude.

Blushing, she had accepted his apology and had watched as her mother leaned over to pat her father on the back. She had then taken a deep breath before announcing that she was planning on heading out that evening.

She had watched as her father had furrowed his brows while he looked over her. Ignoring his gaze, she had kept her information as vague as possible and had stated that she was going to be dining with a few other students from her group at one of their homes. He had narrowed his eyes and had opened his mouth to object only to be cut off by his wife who had pointed out that Elsa was a 'good girl' and that socialising with her peers could prove beneficial for the business

She had shot her mother an appreciative glance before she had fled the room to shower and prepare for the evening. After a bit of consideration, she had settled on the sleeveless, light purple A-line dress that she had purchased while out with Lana. She had paired the dress with black tights and a pair of purple heels that Anna had bought a year ago and had never worn. She had left her long hair down and had curled the ends so that they framed her face.

Pursing her lips, she leaned in to inspect her reflection. She could feel the nerves building as the seconds ticked by. She still wasn't sure that she had made the right decision, but she had made a promise to her friends and she intended to keep it.

The sound of her phone beeping broke through the silence. Smiling, she reached into her clutch and swiped the screen to read the message from Jack. She let out a small sigh and grabbed a fitted black jacket before making her way downstairs.

* * *

Jack tapped at the steering wheel as he waited for Elsa to join him. He had sent her a text to alert her that he had parked his car in front of her neighbours house. He had reasoned that it was the best way to prevent being spotted in case her overprotective father or younger sister got curious and decided to look out the window.

He heard the passenger door being opened and turned to face her. His eyes widening as he glanced over her appearance. She had dressed in a simple dress, but like anything she wore, she managed to look amazing. No matter how many times he caught sight of her, he could never truly get over the way she could manage to look beautiful, sexy and angelic all at once. Suddenly, compared to her, his black jeans, white t-shirt and blue bomber jacket seemed out of place.

He waited while she slid in and buckled herself off before he spoke.

"You look beautiful," he blurted before turning to start the ignition.

Beside him, he heard Elsa let out a breath. "Thank you, she said softly. "You look great as well."

Grinning, he turned and focused on the road. Reaching down, he turned the radio up to play softly in the background. They drove in a comfortable silence with only the radio and the sound of his GPS navigator voice breaking the peace to direct him to the location of the party.

Slowly, he pulled the car to a park out the front of the house. His eyes glanced at the yard and he noticed that quite a few other guests had already arrived. Grinning, he exited the car and rushed around to the passenger side to open the door for Elsa.

He watched as Elsa exited the car and came to rest beside him. Her eyes glanced up at the house where the music was already pumping and she frowned. Leaning down, he gently placed his hand on the small of her back. "If you change your mind and don't want to be here then let me know. I'm happy to take you home, or anywhere else you'd rather be," he whispered.

She turned to look at him and he hastily removed his hand. "No, that's okay, Jack. I'm fine. I'm in good hands, but thank you," she stated and smiled at him.

Blushing, he nodded his head in the direction of the house as he led her to the front door. Pushing open the door, he waited for her to enter before following her into the house. He pulled his jacket off before holding his hand out to take hers and hung them on a nearby coat rack. Taking a deep breath, he walked with her into the large lounge room.

"Elsa, oh my god, you look amazing!" Lana shrieked as she wrapped Elsa into a friendly hug. "That dress was such a good purchase - it fits you perfectly. Doesn't she look incredible, Jack?"

Jack nodded. "She does," he agreed and reached his hand out to shake Fred and Jamie's hands.

They stood in a small group for a few seconds until the sound of the latest Imagine Dragons' song started pumping from the speakers. Rolling his eyes, he watched as Lana let out a loud shriek before grabbing Fred's hand as she pulled him towards the makeshift dance floor. He watched as Jamie shrugged and turned to make his way back to one of the couches. Grinning, he leaned down and lightly gripped Elsa's hand as he led her to the kitchen.

"Drink?" he offered as he pulled two plastic cups off the counter.

"Jack and Coke please," she nodded. She raised her eyebrow at the sight of his amused expression and chuckled. "Let me guess, my drink choice is not what you expected?" she sassed.

Shaking his head, he poured two cups of Jack Daniels and Cokes before handing her one. "You're full of surprises, Miss Blanchard," he began. "I've only ever seen you with wine at business events."

"Wine looks classier, or so my father says," Elsa explained and rolled her eyes. "As you know, it's all about image at those things."

He nodded. Raising his cup to his lips, he took a sip before following her as she made her way back to the lounge room. He watched as she found a place to sit on the couch next to Jamie before sitting down beside her. A few seconds later they were joined by Lana and Fred, who had stopped dancing. His eyes scanned the room as he took in the sight of their fellow students dancing, clowning around and making out.

Focusing his eyes back on Elsa, he couldn't help being amazed at the difference in her. Her long hair had fallen over her face as she giggled over something that Fred had said. Grinning, he turned to look at his friends and noticed the way they were responding to her, making her feel welcomed and treating her like one of the group. He had never seen her look so happy, or so full of life before. Her eyes had a sparkle that he had always yearned to see. He watched as Lana pulled out her phone and held it out. Shuffling in close, he leaned in just in time for Lana to snap the photo of the five of them. He watched as Elsa reacted to the captured photo and smiled. If he hadn't known better, he would have sworn that they were just five close friends who had known each other for years.

A sharp nudge to the ribs forced his attention back to reality. Groaning, he turned to glare at Jamie.

"You're such a puppy," Jamie teased.

"How am I a puppy?" he quizzed, rubbing his hand over his ribs.

"Mate, you've been sitting there like a love-struck puppy for the last hour," Jamie smirked. "It's so pathetic."

Ignoring him, Jack turned to watch Elsa. She had been dragged to her feet to join Lana on the dancefloor. His eyes widened as he watched her looking so carefree, happy and relaxed out on the floor. The girl who was moving gracefully in front of him was a stark contrast to the lonely figure that had cruelly been dubbed the 'Ice Queen.' He shuddered as a wave of guilt hit him from their recent fight where he had used the name against her.

Getting to his feet, he made his way to stand behind her. Leaning down, he lightly tapped her on the shoulder. "Do you think that I can grab a dance later?" he asked.

Elsa's face softened as she stopped dancing to look at him, her hip jutting out slightly while she flicked her eyes over him. "I think I could fit you in," she teased. "If you're lucky."

Blushing, he stood plastered to the spot and grinned at her. He was about to speak when he noticed Elsa's body freeze as her eyes widened in fear. Turning around, he allowed himself to follow her gaze and groaned as Hans' eyes zeroed in on them.

Instinctively, he moved to stand in front of Elsa. Within seconds, Fred and Jamie had appeared at his side to block Elsa and Lana from view.

"Well, well, look at what we have here. Elsa, does Daddy know you're at a party? Or that you're with this piece of trash," he sneered as he moved to glance over Jack's shoulder. "Although, I must say that you Blanchard girls really do scrub up nicely."

"She's with me!" Lana snapped as she flung her arm around Elsa's trembling shoulder. "The only piece of trash around here is you."

Jack chuckled and watched as a scowl appeared on Hans' face.

"Watch your mouth, you little bitch," Hans snapped before pointing his finger at Lana. "I don't take kindly to that kind of attitude."

"Watch your mouth when talking to my girlfriend and friends," warned Fred as he stepped forward to glare at Hans. "I don't take kindly to people calling my girlfriend a bitch."

"Guys, lets just go. He's not worth ruining our night," Lana begged.

Jack frowned and turned to watch as Lana tugged Elsa towards the front door. He shot Hans a glare before sighing and following the girls out. Behind him, he could hear Hans shouting out a variety of insults, but he ignored him. He would prefer to let the guy get away with thinking he had won this round than risk getting into an altercation and having Elsa get hurt.

Pulling his jacket on, he joined his friends as they leaned against Fred's car. His eyes glanced to his phone and he groaned. At 9:30pm, the night was still relatively young and he wasn't ready to end the night with Elsa yet.

"Come on guys. We can go hang at my store," he suggested. "What's better than ice cream after dealing with assholes like Hans."

* * *

Elsa shivered as she followed Jack into his family's flagship store. Her eyes glanced around as she took in the bolder, modern appearance of the Guardian's store. With it's bold colours and modern appliances, the store was almost the complete opposite of the soft pastel colours and the old-time feel of her own family's store.

Her eyes widened as they fell on the expensive looking stereo system which had been set up in the corner. Behind the stereo, she could see posters advertising the company's own CD for sale.

She felt Lana grip her hand as she pulled her to join her at the stereo. Releasing her grip, she reached down to fiddle with the dials of the stereo before she pressed play. " Jack's store hires this really cool DJ to mix all their songs. You can buy their albums here, " she pointed out. "Although, knowing Jack, he would probably give you the CD for free."

"You only get the first one for free. The others come at a price. Although, Lana is right. Elsa, for you I reckon that I could be convinced to give you them all for free," he grinned and turned to wink at her.

Blushing, she made her way over to Jack and watched as he grabbed a series of glasses out and put them on the counter. "Coke okay to drink?" he asked.

Nodding, she smiled at him and watched as he filled a glass and pushed it towards her. He then filled the other four glasses and handed the cups to their friends.

"So, Elsa, is this your first time in one of Jack's family's stores?" Jamie asked and raised his head to look at her.

Smiling, she nodded. "It is."

"You're in for a treat then. Come over here, El," Jack called as he wandered over to a display counter. "I want to show you something."

She made her way to join Jack at his side. Her eyes glanced over the variety of different flavoured ice cream cakes on offer. "Make your choice," he beamed and gestured to the range.

"I can't! There's so many," she gasped. "I've never seen so many different flavours. I mean, caramel popcorn flavoured. Who comes up with this stuff?!"

Beside her, Jack let out a soft chuckle. "Actually, the caramel popcorn flavour was my idea," he admitted, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. "I was just messing around when my uncle was talking with our chef. Next thing you know, they had experimented with the flavour and decided they liked it...and well, here it is. It's actually not that bad. You can have a slice if you would like."

"I'd like that," she smiled. "Thank you."

Jack nodded and opened the display cabinet. He pulled out the treat and placed it on the counter before cutting a slice and spooning it into a bowl. He grabbed a spoon from a container and handed the treat to her. Daintily, she cut a small slice and popped it in her mouth. Her eyes widened as the flavour hit her and she let out a small moan of delight.

"You like?" Jack asked as he watched her intently.

She nodded. "I love it! I must admit, I was a bit skeptical, but this is really something," she admitted and eagerly scooped another spoonful into her mouth.

* * *

Flicking the lights off, Jack pulled the doors to the Guardian's flagship store closed behind him. After two hours spent relaxing in the store, they had finally decided to return to their homes.

Fred, Lana and Jamie had left thirty minutes earlier and had left Jack alone with Elsa to clean up. Fortunately, they had not made much a mess and had managed to clean up in a matter of minutes. Once they had cleaned up, he had led her into the kitchen to give her a brief demonstration on how they made the liquid nitrogen ice cream and had given her a sample which she had responded positively to.

Racing ahead, he unlocked the car and opened the door for Elsa before rushing to join her. Starting the motor, he kicked the car into motion and headed off in the direction of her house.

To his dismay, the drive to her house was quick, due in part to the lack of cars on the road. Slowly, he pulled the car to a halt in front of her neighbour's house.

So," he began and turned to face her. "I guess we're here. I'd walk you to your door, but I think your dad would kill me."

Beside him, Elsa let out a chuckle as she moved to unbuckle her belt. "I guess," she agreed. "Tonight has been a great night. I don't remember the last time that I've had so much fun. Thank you."

He beamed at her. "It has. I think asides from the Hans incident, tonight has been one of the few times when I've actually seen you happy. I mean truly happy," he admitted.

Elsa chortled. "Yeah and all it took was the scorn of my father and knowing that I've disappointed him again."

Frowning, he reached over to grip her hand and gave it a squeeze. "You're not a disappointment, Elsa," he whispered. "If your father can't see how truly amazing you are, than it's his problem, not yours."

He watched as tears welled up in her eyes and a small smile crept over her face. "Y..you mean that?" she whimpered.

Leaning in, he softly cupped her face before gazing into her eyes. "El, you are amazing. It pains me that you can't see how incredible you are. Hell, I could have told you for the last eight years how perfect you are. You are the most gorgeous, intelligent, caring, funny and sweetest woman I know. Of course, I mean it."

He watched as a small blush crept over her face. Biting her lip, she looked up at him. Her eyes flickered between his own eyes and his lips as she leaned in. Slowly, he tilted his head as he brought his lips closer to hers. He could feel his heart pounding as their lips drew closer. Silently, he prayed that the moment he had been dreaming of for the last eight years wouldn't disappoint. He felt Elsa shuffle as she brought her hand up to grip his own before leaning in closer...

The sound of a mobile phone ringing cut through the car. He let out a loud curse word as they jerked apart. Leaning against his seat, he watched as Elsa rummaged through her bag to answer the call. He sighed as he watched the way her expression changed as the caller spoke. Hanging up, she turned to face him.

"That was Anna," she frowned. "Apparently Dad's not happy. I didn't tell him or Mum what time I'd be home and now it's quarter to one and he's inside ranting about me."

Jack nodded in what he hoped would appear supportive and understanding. Silently, he cursed his luck that the moment he had dreamed about for so long had been ruined by an overprotective father. "It's okay. Go, I don't want you getting trouble," he urged. "I'll wait here until you're safely inside."

Nodding, she leaned over and threw her arms around him. "Thanks, Jack. I'll send you a message on Facebook and let you know how much trouble I'm in," she smirked.

He sighed and watched as she walked up the driveway and let herself into her home. He punched at the steering wheel before starting the motor and pulling away from her house. Shaking his head, he replayed the moment from minutes before where he had been so close to finally getting to kiss her.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you to everyone for your continued reviews, support and reading this. I love reading your thoughts, the way you all get behind this story. Your reviews and support make the hours spent writing, researching and editing this story worthwhile.**

**Keep calm and ship Jelsa :).**


	14. Chapter 14

Anna had not been kidding when she'd warned Elsa that their Dad was ranting about her.

Having let herself in, she had found her father pacing around the lounge room in his pyjamas with a stony expression on his face.

He'd pulled Elsa aside to rant about how she had behaved irresponsibly all day and claimed her behaviour was not appropriate for a future CEO. The last straw it, it seemed, had been her failure to alert them of how long she'd intended to stay out. She had not bothered to defend herself and had simply nodded in appeasement while she vowed to show more respect in the future. To her relief, her father had agreed and had let her go.

Once in room, she had quickly changed out of her clothes and into her pyjamas. She'd settled herself under the covers of her bed and had pulled her laptop onto her lap and booted it up.

Logging onto her secret Facebook account, she couldn't help smiling as she read through the posts of her friends. To her surprise, Lana had been quick to tag her in the photo's that she had taken at the party. There were also a few sneaky shots that had been taken without her knowledge while they were at Jack's store.

Her eyes fell on Jack's name and she smiled. Clicking onto the message box, she typed a quick message to Jack:

'_Surprisingly not in too much trouble. Don't know whether to be scared or relieved. I think Dad's tired from a long day of reminding me how much of a disappointment I am. He only wanted to remind me of how irresponsible I've been and to show some respect. Thanks again for a great night~ Elsa'_

To her surprise, Jack responded almost immediately with a simple, yet supportive message:

'_Don't let him get you down. You're not a disappointment, nor are you irresponsible. You're allowed to have fun, Elsa. You're also allowed to want for different things. It's your life, you have to be happy with it, not him. I'm going to bed now. I had a great night with you. Text or call me if you need, I'm always here for you.'_

Sighing, she closed the laptop and placed it back on her bedside table. Switching her bedside lamp off, she burrowed herself under the covers. Closing her eyes, she couldn't help but think back to her day. Everything about the day felt different. From the argument she'd had with her father to her act of rebellion and her exchange with Jack

She could hardly believe the way things had happened with Jack. He had been the perfect gentleman towards her all night. Shivering, she thought back to the way his hand had felt on the small of her back when he'd gently guided her towards the house where the party was held. He had been so resolute in saying that he would happily take her anywhere else if she felt uncomfortable. When Hans had turned up, Jack had been so quick to leap in front of her.

She had been fearful that a scuffle might break out between Jack, Jamie, Fred and Hans, but it hadn't. Instead, Jack had acted like the bigger man and had simply left the party while Hans and his goons had been left speechless in their wake.

Shaking her head, she smiled. She could no longer deny that Jack Frost was quickly becoming a friend. However, more surprising was the fact that she found herself wanting more. Suddenly, the things that used to bug her about him seemed endearing. His lopsided grin, the way his hair never sat straight, or the way that she would catch him looking at her when he thought she couldn't see him.

Then there was the kindness he'd displayed to her in his car. He'd been so genuine in what he had said to her and the way his husky voice had sounded as he'd leaned in close had sent shivers down her spine. He had been going to kiss her and she had wanted it. She would be lying to herself if she said that she hadn't wanted to kiss him and to feel his lips on hers as she gave him her first kiss.

Gasping, she opened her eyes as the realisation hit her. She liked Jack. She could no longer deny that she had romantic feelings for the annoyingly frustrating and surprisingly sweet, Jack Frost.

* * *

Lazily, Jack opened his eyes and reached for his phone. His eyes widening as he realised that he'd managed to wake before the alarm. Grinning, he settled back against the bed as his mind went over the events of the weekend.

After dropping Elsa home, he had spent the rest of the evening and almost all of Sunday going over the moment they had shared in his car. Every time he closed his eyes, he could picture her as she had leaned in close to him. The way her head had tilted and her hand had gripped his. He had been so close to kissing her and he believed that she had been aware of his intentions. While he had been upset that their kiss had been thwarted, he couldn't deny that it had given him hope that she would have accepted him.

He had spent most of Sunday evening on a Skype conversation with Lana and Fred as he relayed his last few minutes with Elsa. Lana had squealed when he had told her how he'd been so close to kissing her. Bashfully, he had asked if it was a good sign and Lana had nodded. She had gone on to tell him that it was clearly evident that Elsa had been open and receptive to the kiss. She had ended the call by telling him that he had no choice. He had to ask Elsa on a date.

The sound of his alarm sounding jolted Jack from his thoughts. Groaning, he rolled over and grabbed the phone to silence the alarm. Once the alarm had been silenced, he stood up and fumbled towards his bedroom door.

Making his way across the hall, he rapped on the door of his sister's room. "Em, get up," he called.

He heard a loud groan. "Go away, Jack," she cried from the other side of the door.

Shaking his head, he laughed. From inside the room he could hear the sound of the bed creaking and knew that all likelihood pointed to his sister having burrowed further under her covers in an attempt to claim more sleep.

"Not going anywhere until you get your ass out of bed and start moving," he shot back. "I have to start getting to uni on time, Em, I can't continue to be late. "You have two choices here. You either get up early and have me drive to school, or get up a few minutes later and catch the bus. Either way, I am leaving the house at exactly 8am. The choice is yours."

He heard the sound of shuffling before the door flung open and his sister turned to glare at him from behind her tangled brown hair. "Don't make me catch the bus. The driver has even worse taste in music than you do," she muttered as she pushed past him to claim the bathroom.

Chuckling, he made his way back to his room. Pulling open the wardrobe, he grabbed a clean pair of jeans, t-shirt and his favourite hoodie and chucked them on. Leaning down, he grabbed his cologne and sprayed it on before dragging a brush through his hair. He cast one last look at his appearance before he left the room.

* * *

Jack grinned as he caught sight of the surprised look on Professor Weselton's face. Glancing at the clock, he saw that he had managed to arrive to class with ten minutes to spare. Any other day and he would be tempted to toy with the Professor, but not today.

Fortunately for the aging professor, Jack's attention had been focused on Elsa. He'd noticed upon arrival that she was not in her normal front row seat. Instead, she had moved to sit with Lana, Fred and Jamie in their row. Smirking, he made his way towards their row. He shot a hard stare at Jamie and watched as he shuffled over to leave a space for him next to Elsa.

"Hi," he greeted as he lowered himself into the empty chair next to Elsa.

Taking a deep breath, he watched as she turned to face him.

"Hi, I stole your spot," she pointed out as a tight-lipped smile crossed her face. "I hope you don't mind."

Raising his eyebrow, he looked at her. He watched as she settled back against her chair and turned to face him with a twinkle in her eyes and a smirk on her face. Chuckling, he brushed a hand through his tousled hair. He knew damn well that she already knew he'd not mind.

Leaning forward, he caught her gaze. "And if I did mind?" he quipped.

He watched as her eyes widened. Slowly, she turned to cross her arms over her chest while she stared at him. "In that case, I'd tell you to arrive even earlier next time," she smirked and moved to push a stray strand of hair from her face.

"You're lucky that I'm so nice," he grumbled before poking his tongue out at her.

Beside him, Elsa scoffed. She opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by the rough voice of their professor as he called the class to attention. Instead, he watched as she crinkled her nose and poked her tongue out at him before focusing her attention on the whiteboard in front of her.

Groaning, he turned to face the whiteboard. Furrowing his brows, he tried to focus on the words that the professor was saying. However, the sight of Elsa with her head bent down as she furiously scribbled notes was proving to be too distracting. Smirking, he leaned forward and gently flicked at her ponytail. His impulsive behaviour caused Elsa to raise her head and turn to stare at him.

Gulping, he watched as she rolled her eyes. Inwardly, he scolded himself. The last few days of progress have all been for nothing. Thanks to his immaturity, he's just pissed her off and is no doubt back to square one. Suddenly, he felt a soft kick to his ankles. Biting his lip, he looked down just in time to see Elsa's foot move back to its earlier resting place. He glanced at Elsa and grins upon seeing the cheeky smile that had settled on her face.

Taking a deep breath, he buried his head down and scribbled a note to ask Elsa if she would meet with him in private after class. He ripped the paper from his note pad and folded it before reaching over and dropping it on Elsa's desk. Blushing, he stole a glance at her as she read the note. He could feel his palms starting to sweat as she bit her lip and bent her head down to write her response. A few seconds later, he felt her hand brushing his as she passed the note back to him under the table.

Unwrapping the note, he couldn't help smiling as he realised how ironic it was that his 13-year-old sister had recently been in trouble for note-passing in class while he was currently engaging in the same behaviour as a 21-year-old university student. Glancing down at the note, he could feel his heart skip a beat as he read Elsa's response. It was a simple, one-word reply with a smiley face at the end of it, but it was enough to cause him to break out into a goofy smile. His eyes darted to his left and he noticed that Elsa's hand was still dangling between them. A part of him was tempted to reach down and take her hand in his, but he didn't.

* * *

Finally, the class had finished and Weselton had stopped talking and had dismissed them. Breathing a sigh of relief, Jack packed his books back into his bag and slid out of the seat to wait for Elsa. A few seconds later and she had joined him by his side while they waited for their friends to join them. Together, they decided to head to the library to do some work.

Leaving the classroom, he slowed his pace and lightly tugged on Elsa's elbow so that she was walking with him. He watched as Lana, Fred and Jamie turned to face them before telling them to go on ahead. Blushing, he watched as Lana mouthed 'Good luck' to him before promising to save them a seat.

He waited until their friends were out of sight to start walking again.

"So, you wanted to talk to me?" Elsa asked, narrowing her eyes as she turned to face him.

Nodding, he grabbed her hand and led her around the corner towards a quieter part of the university. He watched as her blue eyes focused on his face and felt himself losing his nerve. "I...errr...I..ahh," he stammered. He brushed a hand through his hair as the familiar heat settled on his cheeks.

Frowning, Elsa leaned in to look at him. "Are you okay?" she asked softly and placed a hand on his arm. "Jack, you know that you can ask me anything."

Gulping, he looked at her. Her blue eyes were studying his face as she looked over him. It was now or never, he had to ask her. Taking a deep breath, he looked at her. "I want to know if you want to go out on a date with me?" he squeaked before shifting his attention to the floor.

He heard Elsa take a deep breath and steeled himself. By now, he knew that his cheeks were a dark red colour. Mentally, he prepared himself for the rejection that was about to come. After all, Lana's not known Elsa that long and it is entirely possible that she has got it all wrong and Elsa hadn't wanted to kiss him.

"Yes, I'd like that," Elsa's soft voice broke through his thoughts.

He shot his head up. Blinking, he looked at her as a wide grin crossed his face. "Y...you would?" he stuttered. "You do realise that I mean a date. Just you and I spending the day and possibly part of the evening together."

He watched as Elsa chuckled before reaching down to smooth a crease on her jacket. "I'm aware of what a date normally entails, Jack. I would love to go on a date with you."

He could feel his grin widening and shook his head. He's certain that he looks like a complete fool by now, but he didn't care. Instead, he fights back the urge to grab Elsa in his arms and twirl her around. Taking a deep breath, he composed himself.

"Great, well I how is Friday for you? I figured that seeing as neither of us have university on that day it would be the best day," he reasoned.

"Friday is good for me," Elsa smiled and flicked her hair over her shoulder. "You'll have to let me know the details, but Friday works out fine."

* * *

Elsa could feel the blush rising to her cheeks as she followed Jack into the library. She could scarcely believe the giddiness that she felt. At this current moment, her cheeks felt like they could burst from the smile that had crept over her face.

Shaking her head, she told herself to snap out of it. This behaviour, the rush of happiness was not normal behaviour for her. Anna and Punzie were the ones who got all dizzy over males and romance, not her. Yet, here she was barely managing to contain her grin and it was all thanks to an upcoming date with Jack Frost.

She placed her bag on a chair and was about to sit down when a hand gripped hers. Blushing, she turned to face Lana, who tugged her over to stand in the corner.

"Well," Lana demanded and placed her hands on her hips. "Are you going to tell me what you said?"

Turning her head to her side, she tried in vain to hide the wide smile that graced her face. "You knew?" she whispered before burying her head behind her hands.

Lana scoffed and reached to pull Elsa's hands from her face. "Of course, I knew. Who do you think told Jack to bite the bullet and finally ask you out? The poor guy is such a nervous, lovesick puppy when it comes to you," she laughed. "So when is the date?"

"Friday," she replied and cocked her head to smirk at Lana. "Jack's a 'Lovesick puppy' with me?"

Lana let out an exasperated groan and shook her head. "Honestly, the two of you are as bad as each other. I mean, just look at him over there."

Blushing, she followed Lana's gaze to where Jack was sitting. His attention was fixed on her and his lopsided grin had appeared on his face. She watched as his eyes met hers before he blushed bowed his head. Diverting her gaze, she watched as Jamie caught sight of her and leaned in to poke Jack.

* * *

Stifling a yawn, Elsa made her way inside her family home. The long working day had left her feeling exhausted. Her father had left her in charge of handling the orders as well as dealing with customers. The work on it's own wasn't so bad, but she had been left to call on Punzie to help out after her colleague, Collette, had failed to turn up.

Stepping into the entranceway, the sound of raised voices coming from her father's study could be heard. Shrugging, she moved to pass the opened door.

"Elsa, get in here," her father's voice boomed.

Sighing, she turned on her heels and made her way into the office. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the angered look on her father's face. Frowning, she glanced at her mum in the hopes of gaining some insight into her father's behaviour, but the older woman simply shrugged and looked away.

She felt her father's hands grip her shoulder as he turned her to face him. "Did you know?" he demanded. "Did you know that Collette was going to do this?"

Blinking, she turned to stare at him. "Know what? What are you talking about?" she asked.

Her father sighed and released his grip on her shoulders. "That Collette was going to leave us," he muttered. "She was poached by bloody North and his damned Guardian's chain."

"N..n..what?" she stammered and put her hand out to steady herself against the bookshelf.

She watched as her father turned to look at her. "Collette handed in her letter of resignation this morning and then called in sick for the rest of the day. That was why she wasn't at work. It turns out she's got a job as the manager of a new Guardian's store that has sprung up near her home."

She felt herself stumble slightly as she moved to perch herself against the corner of her father's solid desk. Sighing, she felt the pang of guilt hit her as she realised that it was yet another roadblock that stood between her and Jack's blossoming friendship. "I...I'm sorry. I had no idea," she murmured. "Was Collette actually poached, or did she apply?"

"She said that she applied," Walt grumbled. "She said that the 45 minute drive for her to get to work was getting harder to deal with. Apparently this new store is only a 10 minute drive from her house."

Biting her lip, Elsa looked at her father. "So, does this mean that all we have to do is look through the job applications that we already have and organise interviews?" she asked. "I mean, we've already got Steven managing the store and he's not leaving us. How much notice did Collette give you?"

Her father sighed and pinched the tip of his nose before looking out the window. "We have two more weeks with Collette working for us. She'll keep her normal shifts until then."

* * *

Jack raced through the halls of the university. He'd agreed to another early morning meet up with Elsa, Allison and Eric in order to finalise their group project for Professor Lawrence's class.

Rounding the corner, he caught sight of the library and slowed to a walk. He pushed open the door and made his way towards the table where the group was sitting. Catching Eric's gaze, he drew his finger to his mouth and motioned for him to remain silent. To his relief, he agreed and showed no sign of having seen Jack.

Slowly, Jack crept up behind Elsa. Her head was bent over her work as she concentrated on re-reading the work she had written. He stood for a few seconds and watched as she remained completely oblivious to his presence. Smirking, he reached his hands down and placed them on her shoulders.

"Boo," he whispered.

He chuckled as Elsa let out a small shriek before lashing her arm out to whack him in the stomach. Yelping, he clutched at the spot where she had hit him.

"Bit harsh, Elsa," he pouted. "Didn't take you for the violent type."

Turning to face him, she poked her tongue out. "You deserve that hit, Jackson. You know that I'm tired," she chided.

Smirking, he turned to face the centre of the group. "You're the one who decided to keep me up all night, Elsa," he teased.

He watched as a blush covered Elsa's cheeks as she turned to face their fellow group members. Raising her hands defensively, she looked at them. "Oh no, it wasn't how it sounds. We were chatting to each other over Facebook message," she protested. "We were going over some of our work for this project. Alone..I mean, he was at his house and I was at mine."

Smirking, he turned to watch as Eric and Allison simply nodded before turning their attention back to their work. Shaking his head, he shifted his gaze to Elsa. The deep blush had disappeared from her cheeks. However, he couldn't help noticing the bags under her eyes and sighed.

She hadn't been lying when she had said that they had been up all night chatting. He'd spent most of the evening on the computer talking to her. They had spent a few minutes discussing their group project, but the majority of the conversation had been spent going over plans for their date. They had also gone over the latest development in the saga that was their families rivalry. He knew that she was stressed. She'd had a long day at work and had expressed to him how she felt that things were starting to pick up in terms of their own relationship when something had cropped up and reminded her of the challenges they were facing.

Sighing, he reached his hand out to grip hers and he gave it a light squeeze. Her eyes widened at the contact before relaxing as she entwined her fingers with his and returned the squeeze. Leaning over, he hovered his lips by her ear. "Hey," he whispered. "It will be okay."

She nodded. Turning to face him, she gave him a weak smile before removing her hand from his.

Grinning, he redirected his attention to his work. He pulled out his papers and sorted them carefully before slipping his contribution inside the presentation folder that Allison had organised. Breathing a sigh of relief, he sat back and watched as the other three members added their part to the folder.

"We have to get to class," Allison said and indicated to her watch.

Nodding, Jack stood to his feet. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and waited for Elsa to pack her belongings up. Leaning in, he gently nudged her shoulder as they followed Eric and Allison out of the library.

* * *

Elsa raced around the corner. She could feel her bag flapping against her back as she rushed towards her car.

Her mind was distracted as she thought back to the conversation she'd had with Jack earlier in the day. After handing in their project, they had headed to the cafeteria where they had sat down with a coffee and a bite to eat. They had briefly joked about being tired from their long conversation the night before and the early morning start before the topic had returned to the news of Collette leaving Kingdom's and the ongoing rivalry.

Once again, Jack had proven to be supportive and had told her not to let it stress her. It was his opinion that they needed to focus on their developing relationship and see where it was going before they let their families mysterious and troubled past intervene.

Still, despite his best effort and the lopsided grin that he'd flash at her when he wanted her to cheer up, she couldn't help feeling stressed. The more she got to know Jack and his friends, the more she wanted to know the real reason behind their families rivalry. Suddenly, the excuses that her father made when he wrote it off as being 'in the past' weren't enough for her. While it may have been her father's past, it was starting to impact greatly on her future and she found herself becoming increasingly unwilling to accept it.

Since getting to know Jack and his friends, she had found herself starting to question her life and the way that she had been raised. Aside from providing her with friendship and broadening her social life, she had been forced to examine her decisions. She had started to realise that she was capable of balancing a social life with her study and working life. They had also reminded her that she was her own person and not just Walt Blanchard's daughter and the future CEO of Kingdom Ice Creamery. Jack and his friends were helping her to see that she was Elsa Blanchard and she had her own identity.

Raising her head, she pushed the thoughts from her head and focused on her car as it came into sight. She felt her face heating up as her eyes landed on Anna, who was pressed against the passenger side of the car with her arms wrapped tightly around Kristoff's neck as she kissed him.

Grinning, she reached out and pointed the keyless entry remote at the car. She pressed the button and watched as Anna and Kristoff sprung apart. "I really did not need to see that," she smirked.

She watched as Anna turned to look at her sheepishly. "Elsa, hi," she greeted. "You remember Kristoff right? He was just keeping me company while I waited for you."

Smirking, she turned to face Kristoff. His cheeks had turned a dark pink and he gave her a brief nod before lowering his gaze. "I can see that," she teased. "I think that I arrived at the right time."

She pulled open the boot of her car and tossed her bag in before moving to climb into the driver's seat. She waited patiently while Anna placed her own bag in the boot before proceeding to give Kristoff one last kiss and promising to call him later that evening.

Glancing in the rear-view mirror, she waited for her path to be clear before starting the ignition and pulling out of her park. Slowly, she navigated the car towards the road.

"So, I take it that you're going to go on a few more dates with Kristoff then?" she questioned.

"Yep!" Anna replied as she leaned down to turn the radio on. "We're going out on Thursday night and then again on Saturday. On Sunday I'm going to his house to play with Sven. He's a really, really great guy. I really think that he could be the one."

Chuckling, she reached over to take Anna's hand before giving it a light squeeze. "He is a nice guy. I really think that you've found a good one here," she added.

"He is a good one," Anna sighed dreamily. "Oh, Elsa. I just hope that one day you can find a guy who makes you feel the same way that I feel about Kristoff. You deserve to be happy."

* * *

**A/N- Thank you guys for your continued support, comments, thoughtful reviews. I know a few of you felt sorry for poor Jack from the last chapter. He was so close, but so far. Don't worry, he'll get there eventually.**

**I'm hoping to have the next chapter out by the end of this week. Until then, Keep calm and ship Jelsa.**


	15. Chapter 15

After flinging the wardrobe open, Elsa had carefully pulled out the outfit that she had chosen to wear for her date with Jack. She had spent over an hour chatting online with Lana about the day. Together, her and Lana had gone over all possible clothing options for the date.

She hadn't been given a lot of clues about the date, so knowing what to wear had proven difficult. Jack had remained pretty vague when discussing the date and had told her to wear warm clothes that would be suitable for time spent outside. He had also warned her that their day included a bit of a drive to reach their destination. His last instruction had been that he would pick her up at 11am and to let her parents know that she would be home by 11pm that evening.

With that in mind, Elsa had turned to Lana and had Skype called her. Thanks to Lana's advice, she had settled on a pair of dark skinny jeans with a cream-coloured cashmere sweater and a warm black trench coat which she paired with black boots. She had applied a light dusting of makeup over her face and had styled her long platinum-blonde hair into a French braid. Her black beanie and gloves had been slipped into her handbag, just in case.

Sighing, she leaned in to catch one last glimpse at her appearance. Once satisfied, she made her way downstairs and entered the lounge room. She settled herself in the chair and pulled a book onto her lap. Her eyes glanced around the empty house and she sighed. She had already sent a text to let Jack know that she was currently home alone and he'd replied instantly to let her know that he would be making his way to pick her up from her door.

* * *

Jack could feel the nerves building as he slowly eased his car up the Blanchard's driveway before turning the motor off. He placed his fingers on his hand and gave the skin on the back of his hand a light pinch in order to make sure that he wasn't dreaming. It still felt surreal to him to think that he was about to take Elsa on a date.

He had spent the night before going over his plans for the date with his cousin, Thia. Thia had picked up on his crush on Elsa even before he had realised what it was. She had also been one of the few people who didn't tease him about the years he had spent crushing on Elsa, or the fact that their families hated each other.

As a result, she had been the only one he had felt he could turn to for clothing advice. He had approached her the night before and had told her about the date that he had planned. Thia had reacted instantly. She had leapt from her desk to give him a big hug. Once she had got over the excitement, she had dragged him into his room and had sorted through his wardrobe. Within minutes she had settled on a pair of dark denim jeans, a long-sleeve grey t-shirt and his black leather jacket. She had bundled the items into his arms and had told him to wear it with his nicest cologne.

Shaking his head, he glanced in the rearview mirror. His eyes settled on his tousled hair and he made one last futile attempt to smooth it down before exiting the car. He glanced up at the imposing mansion and slowly began walking towards the front door.

Taking a deep breath, he rung the doorbell. For a split second, he feared that he may be walking into a trap and that Elsa would not be home alone like she had said.

Slowly, the door opened and he let out a breath of relief as he saw that Elsa was, indeed, alone. Grinning, he glanced over her. She looked gorgeous as usual and he couldn't help notice the bashful smile on her face. He heard a small cough and shook his head when he realised that he had been caught staring.

"Uh hi," he stammered and ran a hand through his hair. "You look gorgeous, as always."

Blushing, Elsa turned to pick up her handbag. "Thank you, Jack. You look nice as well," she remarked as she pulled the door shut behind her.

* * *

"So, what made you decide to say yes?" Jack asked as he carefully steered the car onto the highway that would lead them out of the suburbs. "To the date, I mean."

Beside him, Elsa shuffled in her seat while she contemplated her answer. "Pity," she teased and waggled her eyebrows.

He gasped and turned to glance at her. "You know, as sad as it is, I'll take it. Pity date it is," he joked, pumping his fist triumphantly.

He heard the sound of Elsa letting out a soft chuckle and smiled.

"Truth be told, Jack, I don't know." Elsa began, stealing a tentative look at him from behind her lashes. "It's just, something has changed between us. You're not the guy I judged you to be. I admit that at times you have frustrated me, but you have also come to be one of the few people who I feel that I can be myself with. I like that, Jack."

He could feel the blush creep over his cheeks from her words. Reaching over, he took hold of her hand and gave it a light squeeze. "I'm glad that you finally decided to give me this chance. For what it's worth, you are everything I knew you to be and so much more," he admitted before releasing her hand.

"Oh...err," Elsa stammered before bending down to reach into her handbag. "I brought some snacks."

Grinning, he turned his head to look at her. He noticed the light blush that had settled on her pale cheeks as she held open a bag of mixed sweets to him.

* * *

Elsa sighed. Jack had not been lying when he had told her that they had a bit of a drive to reach their destination. After ninety minutes in the car, they had finally pulled off the highway and entered the quaint ski resort town of Brevik. She had gasped upon seeing the welcome sign and her eyes had fallen on an assortment of banners advertising the town's annual winter carnival.

Despite the length of time in the car, the drive had been pleasant. They had chatted about a variety of subjects with topics ranging from the serious to the more light-hearted stuff. Whenever Jack had felt the topic was bordering on too serious, he would pull a goofy face or say something that would have her clutching her sides in laughter.

"What exactly do you have planned, Jack?" she asked as he pulled the car into a park outside a small cafe.

"Well, for starters, lunch," Jack smiled as he switched the motor off.

She blushed as he held his hand out and told her to remain seated. A few seconds later, he had exited the car and darted around to open the door for her. "After lunch, there's a few activities that I've planned," he explained.

She felt Jack's hand lightly graze her back as he guided her towards a small cafe. Skipping ahead, he held open the door and led her towards a small table in the corner. Pulling out her chair, he waited for her to sit down before taking his own seat and handing her a menu.

"Are you going to let me pay for my lunch today?" she asked as she skimmed over the menu.

"Nope," Jack smirked and signalled for the waiter to come take their order.

Twirling a stray strand of hair between her fingers, she leaned in and caught Jack's gaze. "Well, seeing as you're not going to let me pay for lunch, the least you can do is tell me what you have planned," she coaxed.

Leaning back on his chair, he clasped his arms firmly behind his head and smirked at her. "Nice try, Princess. Not going to happen though, it's a surprise," he countered.

Sighing, she pulled her phone out of her handbag and leaned back against her chair. "Fine. I'll just ring my dad and ask him if he could come pick me up," she teased.

Jack leant forward as the waitress placed their orders in front of them. "You and I both know

you won't do that," he scoffed.

She raised an eyebrow and looked at him. She watched as he took a bite of his hamburger, never failing to keep his gaze fixed on her. "Is that so, Jackson? Do tell me. Why won't I ring my dad?" she smirked

Jack smirked. "It's simple. You like me too much," he shot back before running a hand through his tousled hair.

Groaning, she leaned down to grab a clean napkin. Scrunching it into a ball, she tossed it at Jack. "Don't get cocky, Jack. After all, this is only the first date," she pointed out.

* * *

Jack grinned as he watched Elsa wander around the park in amazement.

He knew that she was desperate to know what he had planned. She had spent all of their lunch trying to coax the plans out of him, but to no avail. Although, he had to admit she had given it her best shot and had tried everything from flattery, to threats and even playful insults to get him to reveal his plans.

Truth be told, he had been pretty pleased with the date that he had planned. He had seen a post which mentioned the resort town of Brevik on a friends Facebook page. The name had stood out and he had realised that it had been a while since he had visited the popular ski town. He had clicked on the town's website and had discovered that the annual winter carnival was on. The town was located ninety minutes from Arendelle and would provide enough distance that he could relax in Elsa's company without either of them having to worry about being spotted.

After they had finished lunch, he had led her towards the main street. They had walked at a slow, relaxed pace and had woven in and out of the various stores. Elsa had remained close to his side until she had spotted a display of cuddly toys. He had watched as she had let out a soft squeal of delight before she had rushed into the shop to inspect a soft toy penguin with the name Brevik stitched onto its small red scarf.

He had spotted a selection of humorous books and had pointed her in their direction. Once she had been successfully distracted, he had picked up the cuddly penguin and had purchased it for her. He had then moved to stand by her side and had encouraged her to leave the store. Outside the store, he had presented her with the gift. Upon seeing the gift, her face had broken into a delighted smile and she had wrapped her arms around the toy before lifting her head to thank him.

After a few more minutes, they had reached the town square. Elsa's eyes had widened as she took in the various stalls that had been set up. Each stall offered a different product with everything from; jewellery, plants, arts and crafts, baked goods as well as secondhand books available to buy. It hadn't taken Elsa long to find a stall that she liked. Jack had waited patiently while she had stopped to inspect a delicate pair of handmade earrings in the shape of a star. She had then fallen into an animated discussion with the jewellery maker and had purchased the earrings.

"Jack, look!" she had gasped. Gripping his hand, she had led him towards the kerb where a horse drawn sleigh had been waiting for customers.

Grinning, he had looked at the wide-eyed look on her face. He had dug into his wallet to retrieve a $20 note and had handed it to the handler. Once he had paid for their ride, he had carefully assisted her into the sleigh. He had then pulled her down to sit beside him and had wrapped a blanket over their legs. The ride had lasted all of twenty minutes and Elsa's smile had never disappeared from her face as she had watched the main shopping district pass her by.

Once the ride had finished, he had led her back to his car. After they had climbed in the car, he had pulled out his phone and had entered the address that he had saved into the car navigation system. He had then started the motor and had followed the directions of the computerised voice until they had arrived at a restaurant and gallery on the banks of a lake.

* * *

Elsa's eyes widened as she took in the view of the frozen lake nestled amongst the snow-capped trees. "Jack, this place is absolutely beautiful!" she exclaimed.

She turned to watch as Jack locked the car before turning to face her. "It is beautiful," he agreed, his eyes never leaving her.

Blushing, she turned her head to focus on the winter wonderland in front of her. She could hear the sounds of dogs barking in the distance and soft music playing. Looking around, she saw signs which pointed towards a restaurant as well as ice sculptures and an ice skating rink.

Slowly, she set off. She fell into step with Jack as they walked down a path. Within seconds, Jack's hand had found itself to rest lightly on her lower back as he guided her towards a section on the side of the lake.

"I thought it may be nice to check out some ice sculptures," Jack said as he nodded towards the display of intricately carved artwork.

Smiling, she allowed herself to be led towards a large ice sculpture. "I have no complaints," she said. "This all looks so amazing!"

She followed Jack as he wove in and out of the different sculptures. The sheer talent of the work left her speechless and she couldn't help feeling a sense of sadness in knowing that the hard work would be lost as soon as the warm weather returned.

"You've got to admit, it's pretty cool," Jack grinned.

She looked up to where he had stood. Her eyes took in the lopsided grin on his face and the twinkle in his eyes as his eyes darted between her and a large polar bear sculpture. Rolling her eyes, she groaned at him.

"Oh come on, Jack! Cool because it's ice. I expected more from you. You're going to have to do better than that," she teased before skipping ahead to the next statue.

"Not fair, Elsa," pouted Jack as he threw one last look at the polar bear before joining her at the next sculpture. "You, my dear, are one tough woman to impress."

Chuckling, she turned to face him. "Yet you persist," she quipped and reached out to gently nudge him in the chest. "Which means that either I'm worth it, or you are just stubborn.

She watched as Jack shook his head so that a strand of his silver-white hair fell over his eye. He winked at her before bowing his head and mumbling something that she couldn't understand.

Tilting her head, she looked at him. "I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch that. What did you say?"

"Nevermind," Jack muttered as he lifted his head, allowing her to see the hint of a blush on his pale cheeks. "I'll tell you later...maybe."

Biting her lip, she looked at him. She desperately wanted to know what he had mumbled, but decided not to press the issue. Instead, she turned and started to walk towards the end of the display. However, a tug on her hand stopped her. Pouting, she turned to face Jack.

"Sorry," he said glancing at her expression. "I've got something else planned."

Shrugging, she allowed Jack to lead her through the crowd until they had reached a different part of the lake. She heard a bark and turned to find herself in front of a dog sled that was attached to a pack of Siberian Huskies. Cocking her head, she caught sight of the mischievous grin on Jack's face and she gasped.

"Jack, no!" she protested. "This is too much. You don't have to - "

"No it's not, Elsa. Come on, it will be fun," he said as he tugged her towards the dog handler.

* * *

Jack let out a sigh of relief. After talking to the dog sled handler, he was relieved to discover that the last ride was being run at 5pm. They had cut it fine by arriving at 4:30pm, but thankfully the handler had one slot open and had agreed to take him and Elsa out at 5pm for the 10 minute ride around the small lake.

Having paid for the ride, he had then led Elsa to a small stand which was selling hot drinks. Digging in his wallet, he pulled out a note to pay for two hot chocolates complete with marshmallows. They had then found a small picnic table under shelter and had sat down while nursing their drinks.

Glancing up, he noticed how a few strands of hair had come out from her braid and were blowing in the soft winter breeze. She lifted her head to catch his gaze and let out a soft giggle.

Frowning, he looked around for a sign of what had caught her eye. "What?" he asked. "What's so funny?"

Elsa chuckled. She slid her hand in her handbag before pulling out a small packet of tissues and removing one. "You have a hot chocolate moustache," she said.

Blushing, he ran his tongue over his lips. "How about now?" he asked.

Shaking her head, she leaned in. "Let me," she murmured softly. Gently, she raised the tissue to dab at his lips before she pulled back. "Right, it's all gone."

He could feel his cheeks heating up from the contact. "Oh, err thanks," he stammered. Checking his watch, he looked at her. "We better get back to the dogs."

Standing to his feet, he waited for Elsa to stand before taking their empty cups and tossing them in the nearest bin. They walked side by side until they had reached the dog sled. Together, they stood and listened to the handler's instructions on how to sit in the sled.

Slowly, he lowered himself into the sled with his legs left wide open. He watched as Elsa turned to listen to the handler before lowering herself down. He could feel his heart pounding as she sat in front of him before edging herself backwards so that she was resting against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

His eyes glanced down as he took in the intimate position that they were in. Leaning forward, he hovered his mouth by her ear. "If you're not comfortable like this, let me know. We can always go do something else," he whispered.

He heard her draw in a breath before she tilted her head to face him. "No, it's okay, Jack. I'm fine," she murmured.

Blushing, he settled back against the back of the sled. He watched as the handler turned to check they were ready and tightened his grip on Elsa. The handler gave the word and directed the dogs on a lap around the lake. Grinning, he buried his head on Elsa's shoulder and listened as her soft laughter filled the air. He felt a squeeze on his hands and looked down to notice that Elsa had placed her hands on top of his own.

He let out a sigh of content as the handler brought the dogs to a halt. Reluctantly, he let go of Elsa so that she could stand to her feet.

"That was amazing!" Elsa exclaimed as he stood to her feet beside her. "Jack, thank you. I've never done anything like that before. I loved it."

Grinning, he turned to smile at her. "You're welcome."

* * *

Elsa smiled as she looked up to the sky.

After finishing their dog sled ride, Jack had led her towards the restaurant on the banks of the lake. He had led her to a small table for two with a view over the lake. Once again, he had refused to accept any payment for her meal. Instead, he had joked that when he ran out of money, he would go to her for a loan.

She had laughed and shook her head while he had bowed his head to take another bite of his lasagne. After swallowing his bite of food, he had looked up and had caught her gaze.

"Are you okay?" he had asked.

She had taken a small sip of her wine before she'd looked at him. "Never been better," she'd answered truthfully.

After they had finished their meal, they had made their way back towards the lake. Jack had taken her hand and had led her towards a quieter, less populated area while they had waited for the fireworks to start.

As soon as the clock had hit 7pm, the show had started. The sky had been lit up in a variety of colours. She had felt her inner child come out as she stood and watched the colourful bursts fill the night sky.

"You're worth it," Jack whispered as his breath tickled her ear.

Flinching, she turned to face him. His blue eyes were staring at her and a shy smile had appeared on his face.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Jack didn't answer for a while. Instead, he stepped closer and looked into her eyes. After taking a deep breath, he answered. "You asked me what I said when we were down at the ice sculptures," he explained. "I said that you are worth it."

Blinking, she thought back to earlier in the afternoon and the words that had been said. "Oh...oh," she blushed.

Looking up, she watched as his arms crept around her back and pulled her closer to him. "Jack, I -" she began.

"Elsa, can you please let me say this? Before I lose my nerve," Jack interrupted.

She nodded. "Okay, sure," she replied. She watched as his eyes glanced between her and the ground.

Jack opened his mouth and exhaled loudly. "Elsa, I'm in love with you." he admitted. "I've been crazy, stupidly, head-over-heels in love with you ever since the moment I first saw you, eight years ago. I never meant to annoy you. It was just, in the past whenever I got close to you I would lose my nerve and turn into a complete, hopeless idiot. You're the reason I never bothered to date other girls. I always held onto this crazy idea that maybe one day, I would be able to convince you that I'm not a complete idiot. I just kept hoping that one day you would get to know me."

Blinking, she looked up to face him. She could feel the smile on her face widening as she studied his face. She watched as he bit his lip while his eyes flicked between her own eyes and her lips.

Gulping, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Jack, I.."

She let her voice trail off. Slowly, she tightened her arms around his neck as she brought herself closer to him. She could feel her heart pounding from within her chest and wondered if it was possible that he could feel it too, given how close they were. Tilting her head, she slowly leaned in and focused her eyes on his. As she drew closer, she could feel the warmth of his breath on her lips. Taking a breath, she closed her eyes and kissed him.

She felt herself smiling into the kiss as Jack's arms moved to tighten their hold on her. Slowly, she moved one hand to cup the back of his head as she deepened the kiss. She couldn't help noticing how lips were softer and he was much gentler than she had expected. She felt her body relax as all her doubts and insecurities seemed to melt away. Everything felt so right, being in his arms and kissing him.

Bashfully, they broke the kiss. She couldn't stop the smile from appearing on her face as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I like you, Jack," she confessed. "I mean, I like you as more than a friend. I really like you."

"I know," he teased before placing a kiss on her forehead. "After all, I am irresistible."

Reaching her hand up, she gently swatted him on the head. "Shut up," she murmured, chuckling softly. "Don't make me regret telling you that."

Jack chuckled before loosening his grip on her. "You're stuck with me," he teased. "That said, we should probably think about heading home. It's almost 8pm and we need to get you home before your parents send out a search party."

She nodded and pulled out of his grip. Leaning down, she grabbed his hand and entwined their fingers as he began to lead the way back to his car.

* * *

It had taken every ounce of Jack's willpower to not leap into the air and shout to the world that Elsa had kissed him. Instead, he had taken to touching his lips and trying to savour the feeling of her lips on his. Everything about the kiss had been perfect. From the location, to the timing and the setting. He may have had to wait eight years for it, but it had been well worth the wait.

Despite his lack of experience, he was certain that as far as first dates went, his had been perfect. The activities that he had planned had all been well-received and the night had ended with Elsa confessing that she liked him and their kiss. He hadn't wanted to leave Brevik, although, the feeling of Elsa's hand in his as they walked back to his car had been nice.

The drive back to Arendelle had been relaxed. Elsa had cuddled the toy penguin, which he had bought her and had thanked him for their date. However, despite the wonderful evening they had shared, he hadn't failed to notice the way the mood had changed as they had neared Arendelle.

Reluctantly, he inched the car towards her neighbour's house. He turned the engine off and turned to face her. "So," he began. "This is the part that I'm not so keen on."

Slowly, she unbuckled her belt. Leaning down, she slipped her toy penguin back into the paper shopping bag. She sighed and turned to face him. "Jack, I've had the best day and night of my life. I've not had this much fun in a long time," she said and reached to grip his hand. " Thank you for today and for the last few weeks. Thank you for not giving up on me and for helping me to see you, the real you."

He blushed and reached over to wrap his arms around her. Leaning down, he gently placed a kiss on her forehead. "Jamie did warn you that I don't give up easily. Also, as I said you are worth it. I've known for a long time that you are so worth it," he whispered. "Besides, I meant what I said earlier, you are stuck with me now."

He smiled, reaching over to wrap his arms around her, gently placing a kiss on the top of her head. "Jamie did warn you that I don't give up easily, and you're worth it. I've known for a long time that you are worth it," he whispered."Besides, I meant what I said earlier. You're stuck with me now."

He watched as a wide smile graced her porcelain face once again. "Thank you," she cried.

Leaning in, she pressed a kiss to his lips. He felt her hand move to stroke at his face before she broke the kiss. Biting her lip, she gave him one last glance before she turned and exited the car.

He kept his eyes trained on Elsa as she trudged up the driveway and entered her house. Pulling away from the kerb, he thought about all the people who would be waiting to hear about their date. He knew that his cousin and their friends would all be keen to hear his report, but for tonight he wanted to keep the details between him and Elsa. After all, he had waited eight years for the perfect moment. Their friends and his cousin could wait a few more hours to discover that he'd kissed her.

* * *

**Some of you have wondered if Lana and Fred are based on real people. The answer is yes. Lana's based loosely off a very special woman.**

**Thank you to all who review for your comments/ reviews/ time spent reading. Your support makes my day :)**

**As always Keep Calm and Ship Jelsa **


	16. Chapter 16

The past three weeks had been some of the happiest of Jack's life. Despite the secretive nature of their relationship, he and Elsa had still managed to engage in some normalcy. Small acts such as sitting together in class with their hands entwined under desks, stolen kisses in the corridors of their university, text messages during the days when they were apart and long hours spent chatting online. The small daily actions were crucial to keeping their blossoming relationship together.

He had started to joke that Elsa was becoming quite adept at lying about her whereabouts on the weekends. Elsa preferred to refer to her actions as 'stretching the truth.' She maintained that all she had been doing, was telling her parents that she was meeting students as part of a study group. She had pointed out that it was true, the people she was meeting with _were_ students and sometimes they _did_ discuss their subjects. Her tone would always get serious and she would hold up her hand and wave it about as if to further her point. Every time she did so, Jack would laugh and pull her close to him. He would nuzzle his head on her shoulder and wait until she relented and swatted him for getting her riled up.

Their friends had continued to be supportive of the two of them. Lana had gone to visit Elsa at work the day after their first date. Elsa had told him later that evening that Lana had refused to leave the counter until she had received a full report on their date. Jamie, on the other-hand, had taken to joking about being the fifth wheel. He'd pointed out that his friends were now coupled up and would relax with their bodies connected, be it by lips, hands or just simple touches while in his presence. Despite their happiness for Jack, Fred and Jamie had continued to tease him for being lovestruck. They had claimed that he was even more of a 'lovestruck puppy' now that the object of his affection had fallen for him.

* * *

Elsa let out a content sigh as the scent of the bubble bath filled the room. The sound of the radio playing a soothing tune in the background was helping her feel relaxed. Closing her eyes, she let her mind wander as she tried to figure out her plans for the weekend. She knew that she had work and study commitments, but she also needed to find some time to sneak out to see Jack.

She had returned home less than forty minutes earlier. After parking her car in the garage, she had slowly entered the kitchen. Her walk had been slow and stiff. Jack had insisted that they went ice skating. She had not had the heart to tell him that ice skating was not one of her skills. It had only been after her third fall that he had decided to step in. He had helped her to her feet and had declared her incapable of skating without his assistance. He had then led her around the rink with his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. Once they had finished skating, he had leaned in to prescribe a series of kisses, which he had said would help with the healing.

Any plans that she'd had to enter the house unnoticed, had been thwarted almost instantly upon entering the kitchen. She had found the kitchen and dining area abuzz with noise when she had entered. Anna had invited Rapunzel, Flynn and Kristoff over and the four of them were gathered round a table competing in a game of Pictionary. Elsa had paused long enough to greet them. They had invited her to join them for the next round, but she had politely declined and cited a date with the bath tub and homework was on the cards for her.

In the privacy of her room, she had emptied her bag. Her eyes had caught sight of a text from Jack. It had been a simple message to remind her that he had no more hockey games and would be free to see her on Saturday afternoons if she could sneak away.

Blinking, she shook her head as the relaxing tunes that had been playing, made way for loud, brash radio adverts. She frowned as she noticed the warm water had now cooled. Biting her lip, she glanced at the clock and noticed that she had spent far longer than she intended to in the bath. Sighing, she reached down and pulled the plug.

* * *

Elsa let out a loud grin. She felt her shoulders slump as she slid her key into the front door.

Her day at work had been exhausting. She had been left in charge of training the two new staff members. They had replaced Collette's position with a woman named Marie and had hired Rapunzel's partner, Flynn, to work part time. Despite the fact that both new members were lovely, it had been tiring and Elsa had been forced to manage training them as well as serving customers.

She had only just left work when Jack had called. He had wanted to catch up with her, even it was only for a quick walk around the park. Reluctantly, she had declined. She had stated that she was overtired from the week and had promised to make time to see him on the Sunday.

He had sounded dejected when she had declined, but had soon perked up with the promise of seeing her the following day.

Pushing open the front door, she made her way into the house. The sound of the TV playing could be heard. She poked her head in the lounge room and stifled a laugh as her eyes caught sight of Anna, who was sprawled on the couch while watching Mean Girls for the umpteenth time.

She leaned against the doorframe and moved to loosen her hair from its tie. "Don't you ever get bored of that movie?" she asked. "You've seen it well over a hundred times."

She watched as Anna reached to pause the movie before turning to face her. "It's not possible to get bored of the classics, Elsa," she sang before poking her tongue out.

She laughed before turning to smile at her sister. She had to admit, the movie was quite good. Her and Anna would often curl up and watch the movie together. They would grab a large block of chocolate to share and turn the sound up while quoting their favourite lines.

"I know," she teased. "I still remember the time when you decided that we all had to wear pink on Wednesday. Thankfully, that idea only lasted a month before you got bored of it."

"Only because I ran out of pink!" Anna shot back.

She watched as Anna paused before her smile faltered. Frowning, she bit her lip as she wondered what had prompted the sudden change of expression in her sister.

"Dad is looking for you," Anna warned. "He's been in a foul mood all afternoon. So, good luck. I have no idea what it's about though. Sorry."

She could feel the lump forming in her throat and gulped. "It's probably work related," she suggested and ran a finger through her hair. "Thanks for letting me know."

"Elsa," her mum called as she poked her head into the room. "Honey, your dad is looking for you."

"I heard," she murmured, giving her mum a bleak smile. "Any idea what it is about?"

Her mum shook her head. "I think that it's probably best if you speak to your father," she said glumly. "He's a bit worried about you."

"Okay, well I will head to my room. I want to get changed first," she said.

"That's fine. I'll let him know you are home," Lillian smiled.

Elsa nodded. Turning on her heels, she climbed the stairs and entered her room. Opening her wardrobe, she pulled out a comfy pair of jeans and her green hoodie. She quickly slid the new clothes on and tossed her work clothes into the clothes hamper.

A knock on the door caused her to jump slightly. "Elsa," the monotonous tone of her father called from the other side. "We need to talk."

Gulping she opened the door. Her father stood with his face flushed and his arms crossed. She stepped back and beckoned for him to enter. Without saying a word, he brushed past her and perched himself on the corner of her desk. She watched as he turned to stare at her before beckoning her to take a seat.

"Elsa, I have a few concerns," he began. "Your mother and I have noticed a change in you over the past few weeks. A change that we don't necessarily appreciate. Your attitude towards your work and studies has dropped and we are - "

Furrowing her brows, she turned to stare at him. "Dropped how?" she interrupted.

Clearing his throat, Walt continued. "As I was saying. We have picked up on a few subtle changes. You have started to go out to a few too many study groups and have given us only the basic information. You've also come home a bit later than is appropriate. As far as work has gone, you have changed shifts for no apparent reason and have refused to stay back longer when required. Frankly, Elsa, this behaviour is not acceptable for a future CEO. It certainly isn't appropriate behaviour for my daughter"

She could feel the frustration building. "Not appropriate?!" she protested, raising her hands up in defeat. "All I do is work and study. I have no life. Sure, I have changed a few shifts, but I haven't missed hours. I have still completed all my rostered hours. You are really going to get mad at me for changing a few shifts and joining a study group?

"Elsa," Walt warned. "I suggest that you watch your tone. I will not be spoken to like this in my own home."

She turned to stare at him. She could feel a surge of adrenaline coursing through her, brought on by the exhaustion and anger that she felt. "Fine, I'll leave," she snapped.

Opening her wardrobe, she pulled out a pair of sneakers and slipped them onto her feet. She then turned to grab her phone, keys and purse and tossed them into her handbag.

"Leave?" repeated her father. "You will do no such thing. Honestly, Elsa, what has got into you? You're a good girl. I know it, you know it. However, this behaviour of yours is not good."

"A good girl!" she cried and turned to face her father. "You really believe that I'm no longer a good girl because I dare join a study group and made one mistake in coming home late. Face it, Dad, I have far less freedom than Anna. She gets to study what she wants. She works less hours than I do and she actually has a social life. I get none of that despite the fact that I am the oldest and have always done what you've asked me to."

She watched as her father clenched his jaw in anger. Tightening the grip on her handbag, she brushed past him. A part of her could not believe the way she was acting. She knew that it would only make her situation worse, but she didn't care. She couldn't care.

She caught her mum's curious gaze as she raced down the stairs. She paused momentarily to offer her mum a bleak smile before continuing.

"Elsa Kim Blanchard, you will get back here right now," boomed her father as he thundered down the stairs after her. "Your mother has dinner cooking. You will not disrespect us."

Spinning on her heels, she caught his gaze and glared at him. "I guess that my dinner will have to wait in the oven because I'm done. I need to get out of here. I've had a long day and a long week. I'm exhausted. Besides, clearly I'm nothing but a big disappointment, so consider this me giving you yet another reason to be ashamed of me, Dad," she snapped.

Turning her back on him, she continued on her path. Behind her, she could hear her dad angrily speaking to her mother. She heard the pleading tone in her mother's voice and knew that she was trying to calm her husband down. Shaking her head, she noticed a flash of strawberry-blonde hair flying out of the kitchen as Anna scurried out of the way.

Digging in her handbag, she pulled out the car keys. She could hear her father shouting her name, but she didn't dare stop. Instead, she pulled open the front door and slammed it closed behind her before storming towards her car.

It wasn't until she had turned around the corner from her home that she realised she'd stormed out with nowhere to go. Sheepishly, she pulled the car into park and rung Jack. To her relief, he picked up on the fifth ring.

'_Hey,' _ his sounded down the phone.

"Hey," she sniffed and wiped back a tear. "I know that it's last minute and all, but can we please catch up? I need to see you."

'_Of course, meet me at the Regent cinema complex car-park in Corona. I'll leave right away,' _ Jack replied, the sound of his keys jingling could be heard in the background.

"Thanks, she murmured. "I'll see you soon."

* * *

Jack grinned as the familiar sight of Elsa's blue Honda pulled into the cinema car park. He exited his car and waved her down. He still couldn't believe that she had called him so suddenly. When they had spoken earlier, she had sounded exhausted and he'd been left to believe that she was planning on relaxing. However, the surprise had turned to concern when he had noticed the tremble in her voice.

He watched as she made her way to him. Lifting her head, she gave him a weak smile. It was obvious to him that she was trying her best to appear composed in front of him. He waited for her to get closer before he made his to her.

"Come here," he coaxed as he reached his arms out to pull her towards him.

Willingly, she obeyed and threw her arms around his neck. He leaned down to press a kiss on her forehead before tightening his grip on her. They stood in silence for a few seconds while he relished in the feeling of holding her in his arms. He heard a few sniffles escape from Elsa as he stroked his hand through her hair.

A minute later and she moved her hand to stroke through his hair. "I had to get out. I can't stand it," she cried.

He sighed. Reaching his thumb out, he wiped at the tears that had formed in her eyes. "Get your handbag and lock your car," he muttered. "We're going for a drive."

* * *

Jack had heard the soft sniffles which had come from Elsa as they drove. Whatever had happened at her home had caused her to be upset and he was not happy. Reaching over, he had opened the glove compartment and had pulled open a small pack of tissues to hand to her.

He had driven aimlessly. He hadn't even realised where he was going until they had reached the foot of the hills that lined the city's eastern suburbs. Expertedly, he had driven his car around the winding roads and had passed the exit points for various small towns. He had driven for thirty minutes. In that time, Elsa had remained quiet, save for a few waning sobs. He had tried to cheer her up by telling her a few lame jokes. Each joke he told, he would laugh a little bit louder as if it was the funniest thing he had heard all day. To his relief, that had seemed to have done the trick and Elsa had ceased sobbing and had reached her hand over to lightly squeeze his leg.

After thirty-five minutes of driving, he had pulled the car into park on a hill which overlooked the city and suburbs. He had released his seatbelt and had clamoured into the back seat before pulling Elsa to join him. He'd then wrapped his arms and legs around her while she had laid back against his chest.

"When you're ready," he murmured. He shifted his head to press a soft kiss to her jawline.

"Jack," her voice cracked. Tilting her head, she looked at him.

He sighed as he took in the sight of fresh tears in her eyes.

He tightened his grip on Elsa as she burst into tears. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to her cheek. He felt her hands reach up and grip at his hoodie as she bunched the fabric under her fingers. He brushed his hand through her hair and listened as she replayed the argument with her father as well as the pressure that she felt to be perfect. Biting his lip, he couldn't help wishing that he could do more for her. Suddenly, all the quirks that people associated with her made sense. For all her life, she had been striving to be the perfect daughter and meet her father's standards.

"Why can't Anna do more?" he asked as he trailed a finger up her arms. "She's smart, friendly and is just as capable as you are."

Shaking her head, Elsa turned to look at him. "Anna's too happy and too free-spirited. I could not let her be raised like I was. She would hate the corporate life - sitting down in long meetings, swamped with paperwork. No, that's not the life for Anna," she explained.

"So, you're telling me that you would rather be miserable yourself. You would prefer to work long hours in a career chosen for you than face your father. You've lived for 21 years of your life in a situation where your only friendship and socialisation came from your family and the fake bullshit that goes on at business functions. Hell, you even have to lie in order to go out and have fun with me and our friends," he reasoned. "Elsa, that is not a life. You deserve happiness as well as Anna. You know it, I know it and Anna knows it. You can't tell me that she is happy about this!"

He heard Elsa let out a loud sigh as her hands moved down to grip his own. "I know," she admitted. "It is what has to be done though, to keep Anna happy. Surely you would do the same for Emily?"

He blinked. Suddenly, it was his turn to let out a loud exhale. He rested his chin on Elsa's head and tightened his grip on her hands. "I would," he agreed. "I owe it to her. After all, it is my fault that she has grown up without a mother."

* * *

Elsa felt the shift in Jack's attitude. It had been instantaneous. His calm, soothing voice had changed to melancholy and his body had stiffened. Sitting up, she turned to face him and noticed that the normal twinkle had disappeared from his eyes. She shuffled back to lie against the locked door. She reached her hands out and pulled him to lie against her chest. He had provided her with the comfort that she needed and now it was her turn to do the same for him.

"I'm not sure I understand," she whispered as she brushed a hand through his hair.

Jack let out a loud sigh. His hands ran absent-mindedly up and down the length of her legs. "It's my fault," he began. "My mum's death. I'm the reason that she died. It was my cousin, Thia's, fifteenth birthday. Mum asked me to hold onto her present while she was busy with Emily. Only thing is, I was too caught up with my stupid action hero toys and I forgot. It was only when we got to my uncle's house when I realised that I had left the present at home. Mum decided to go home and get it…"

He paused to choke back a tear before he continued. "She was crossing an intersection when an idiot in a speeding car ran a red light. If I hadn't left the present at home, she would never have been on the road and Em would still have our mum."

She let out a gasp as he finished his story. She had known for a while that Jack's mum had died in a car crash and had left him to be raised by his aunt and uncle. However, the circumstances surrounding his mother's death had always remained a mystery. "How old were you?" she asked as she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

Jack paused before moving to grip at her elbow. "I was ten and Emily was two," he replied. "We moved in with my uncle immediately. There was never any doubt in his mind that we would live with him. I was a complete brat for the first few months. I treated them like shit. The only one who was safe from my moods was Em. She was my one saving grace. I think part of the reason my uncle got me into hockey was so that I could channel my mood in a more positive way."

Elsa frowned. She cupped his chin and tilted his head so that he was forced to look at her. "Jack, you were ten years old. There is no way that you were in anyway responsible for what happened to your mum. The fault lies with the driver who broke the road rules and hit your mum, not you," she reasoned.

She felt Jack wriggle so that he was resting his head on her chest. His fingers curled up in her hoodie. They sat in silence for a few minutes while she brushed her fingers through his hair.

After a while, she caught sight of the beginning of Jack's lopsided grin forming on his face as his eyes flicked between her chest and her eyes. "I like the view from here," he smirked.

Groaning, she leaned down and swatted him. She shook her head before tilting his chin slightly. Leaning down, she pressed a kiss to his lips. She felt him break the kiss. Frowning, she watched as he moved out of her grasp so that he was leaning against the back-seat.

She cocked her head to look at him and noticed the smirk that had appeared on his face. Within seconds, his hand had shot out and pulled her so that she was straddling his lap. One hand reached to press on the small of her back while the other cupped the back of her head as he tilted his head up to kiss her. Wrapping her head around his neck, she pulled herself closer to him. She felt his tongue brush against her lip. Parting her lips, she gave him the access that he wanted.

They kissed for a few minutes before the need for air forced them apart. Pulling apart, she rested her forehead against his and stared into his eyes. She could feel his hands caressing her as they trailed the length of her torso. "You make everything better," she murmured.

* * *

Jack frowned as he pulled the car into a car park in the Corona cinema complex.

After spending ninety minutes curled up in the car with Elsa, they had both agreed to return home. The time spent together, as well as the travelling time had meant that it had been close to three hours since Elsa had stormed out of her home in anger.

The drive back had been quiet. He'd realised that Elsa was worried about going home and having to face her angry father. Leaning down, he had gently squeezed her leg and had reminded her that she could always text him and he would ring her, or he'd happily get online to chat with her.

He had tried to lighten the mood as they pulled into the cinema car park. He had seen the sign advertising the latest animated movie and had reminded her that he expected to see the movie like they had planned. She had chuckled slightly at his enthusiasm before she'd let out a sigh.

"We're here," he said glumly.

Opening his door, he ran around the other side to open the door for her. He wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her to rest by his side. He could feel her slowing down her pace as they walked towards her car.

Sighing, he leaned against the driver's side door of her car. He pulled her to rest against his chest and wrapped his arms around her. "Tell you what, I'll follow you home. Once you get home, I will head off. You will be okay. Remember, I'm only a phone call away," he murmured.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted her head to look at him. He could see the sign of fresh tears in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Anytime, baby," he remarked. "Besides, it's not been that bad a night. I did get to rest my head on your boobs. I've wanted to do that for years!"

"Jack!" she scolded. She leaned back and placed a playful punch on his arm. "You always have to go and ruin a sweet moment!"

Chuckling, he turned to smirk at her. He moved his arms to tighten his grip on her. "Yeah, but that's what makes you love me," he teased.

She turned to look at him and he noticed that her eyes had returned to their normal bright appearance. Slowly, she stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms back around his neck. Standing on her tippy-toes, she leaned in and kissed him. He reacted immediately and tightened his grip on her as he returned the kiss.

He felt her break the kiss before she let out a reluctant sigh and rested her head on his shoulder. Her eyes glanced up at him and he knew that she was delaying going home.

"Go," he urged. "Trust me, you have to go now, or else I won't be able to let go of you."

Elsa nodded. Reaching up, she pressed one last quick kiss to his lips before she climbed in her car. He shut the door for her before heading to his own car. Slipping the key in the ignition, he started the car up and pulled out of the park. He wove through the streets as he followed Elsa to her home. Once they reached her home, he flashed his lights and waved to her before leaving her to return to his own home.

* * *

**A/N- Thank you all for your wonderful, supportive reviews. It seems we all liked the events that happened in the last chapter which makes me happy. I had a lot of fun writing that chapter. It took me a while to research and write, but it was a lot of fun. Hope you all have a wonderful week.**

**Keep Calm and Ship Jelsa. **


	17. Chapter 17

Five weeks had passed since Elsa had first fled the house after the fight with her father. In many ways that night had been a turning point in her relationship with Jack as well as the one with her parents. It seemed to her that where one relationship continued to blossom, the other relationship was slowly floundering.

As she had expected, her parents had not been happy when she had walked through the door. They had wasted no time in calling her into the lounge room. Her father had remained oddly silent and had simply stared at her while he let his wife take over. Lillian Blanchard had calmly explained that while they were happy for Elsa to join a study group, they did have an issue with the erratic hours that had come with the study group. They had also claimed that the altering of work shifts and the tone in which she had spoken that evening was not to their liking. Elsa had reluctantly apologised and had promised to try and keep them more informed with the hours that she would be spending away and to alert them if she was going to be later than expected.

As time had passed, Elsa had found herself slowly beginning to open up to her mother some more. The older woman had claimed that she was starting to miss out on a lot more now that Elsa was 21. As a result, she had insisted on a few mother-daughter dates to try and touch base. It was one of these dates where Elsa had braved telling her mother about her friendship with Lana. To her relief, her mother had not minded and had suggested that Lana be invited to dinner.

After a bit of consideration, Elsa had agreed and had invited Lana to visit. She had taken care to remind Lana of the rivalry between her family and Jack's and had sworn her to secrecy in regards to their relationship. The night had gone well. Walt had failed to recognise Lana from the time when she had visited the flagship store. In fact, he had been so impressed with Elsa's new friend that he had suggested she apply for a part-time job with Kingdom. He claimed that having another person on staff would be beneficial, especially with the added pressure that the company had been facing.

The Guardians company had continued to expand their stores. Slowly, but steadily, the rival business had increased in numbers and had started to level with Kingdom's in terms of store numbers and profit. The worst of it had been when a Guardians store had opened in a large shopping mall within walking distance from the Kingdom store that had held the monopoly for ice cream sales in that particular centre.

The added stress at work had seen a flow-on effect in the home. Walt had become increasingly short-tempered while he strived to find ways to ensure that Kingdom Ice Creamery remained the number one ice cream chain in the country. His stress levels, coupled with Elsa's growing independence had led to more and more short arguments occurring between the two of them.

* * *

The sudden firm grip on her waist no longer startled her, nor did the presence of a firm body pressed flat against her back. In fact, she had come to expect it from Jack. In the early days of their relationship, he had taken to sneaking up behind her quite a lot. He loved to watch her jump out of her skin and would chuckle softly each time she did get a scare.

This morning, he had found her nestled deep amongst the row of books in the library. He had struck while her head had been buried in a particularly interesting book.

"How did I know that you would be in the library?" Jack murmured before pressing a few soft kisses to the side of her neck.

"Maybe it is because I sent you a text saying that I was coming in here prior to Professor Lawrence's class," she responded matter-of-factly. "I think the bigger question is what are you doing at school this early?"

She felt herself being spun around as Jack turned her to face him. She let out a sigh as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. "The earlier I get here, the more chances I have to do this," he replied and leaned in to press a soft kiss to her lips.

She took one look at the irresistible grin that had appeared on his face and shook her head. "Jack, I came here for a reason," she moaned.

"I know," he replied, hanging his head in shame. "I just can't resist annoying you in the library."

She groaned and pulled herself out of his grip. Reaching down, she gripped his hand and pulled him further along the shelves while she continued to browse the titles.

"We get the result of our project back today," she informed him and bit her lip. "The one that we did as a group."

"We'll pass, El," he replied, his thumb tracing lightly over her hand. "Anything you're attached to is guaranteed to be perfect."

* * *

Jack sat in a cafe a short distance from Elsa's work. His hands curled around a steaming hot cup of coffee while he waited for Elsa to arrive. His eye's glanced at the clock and he was relieved to find that it wasn't long before Elsa's shift at work would be over and she would be with him. She had suggested they meet to make up for the fact that she had left him alone with their friends at lunch while she helped her sister and cousin with an art project.

The small ding of the cafe door bell rang to signal the arrival of a new customer. Jack raised his head in interest, his smile widening when he saw that it was Elsa, who had arrived. Standing to his feet, he quickly swallowed the last of his coffee and went to greet her.

"Hi," he greeted, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Good shift?"

"Hi to you," Elsa replied, standing on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. "Work was okay, but it's better now that it's over."

He nodded. He released his grip on Elsa and watched as she moved to inspect the selection of cakes on offer. After a minutes deliberation, she decided on a slice of Black Forest cake and a chai tea. She turned to stare at him while he placed an order for a coffee and a slice of apple pie. Digging in his pocket, he was about to pull out his wallet to pay for their orders when Elsa's hand fell on his arm.

"Tonight is my shout. Consider it a celebration for passing Professor Lawrence's assignment," she declared. She flashed him a smile before pulling out a $20 and handing it to the sales assistant.

Once she had paid for their orders, he took her hand and led her back to the small table where he had been sitting. He pulled the spare seat out and shifted it so that Elsa was sitting as close as possible to him. He waited for her to take his seat before leaning in to press a quick kiss to her lips.

Breaking the kiss, he rested his head on her forehead and caught her gaze. "So," he drawled. "If this is my reward for helping you pass a project, then I hereby volunteer to help you with all future assignments."

She chuckled. Sitting back, she watched as the waitress placed their orders down in front of them before turning to face him. "It wasn't just my assignment, Jack," she pointed out. "It was yours, Eric and Allison's as well. You should be just as happy as I am with our grade. You worked hard on it."

He nodded. He could feel his cheeks heating up as he swallowed a piece of pie. "It's true. We all know that the only reason that we got an A+ on that assignment was because of my expert work," he joked. "Professors can't help but fall at my feet."

Elsa snorted. "Right, like Weselton," she quipped. "I've noticed that he's had less grey hairs over the past few weeks. Either he's bought a better toupee, or you are going soft and not annoying him as much. You need to step up your game, Frost."

Pouting, he turned to look at her. He placed his hand over his heart in a sign of mock hurt. "Oh that hurt, Elsa," he joked, reaching over to swipe a spoonful of her cake. "You know that I can never resist the chance to annoy Weaselton."

"Or me," she teased.

Swallowing the last of his coffee, he raised his head to smirk at her. "I do my best."

He watched as she paused to look at her watch before frowning. "I have to go," she stand and stood up. "I told my parents that I was stopping at a friend's house after work, but they still expect me home at a somewhat early hour."

Groaning, he stood to his feet. Leaning down, he carefully tidied their empty plates into a neat pile for the waitress before turning to follow Elsa out the store. Stepping outside, he felt the slight chill in the March air and shivered. He draped his arm around Elsa's waist as they walked towards her car.

Slowly, they came to a halt at her car. He moved to lean against her car while she fumbled in her bag for her keys. He watched as Elsa unlocked her car and pulled the door open to toss her handbag in before turning to face him. Stepping closer, she wrapped her hands around his neck and caught his gaze before she let out a loud exhale.

She reached her hand up and brushed her hand through his hair. "What are we doing this weekend?" she asked.

He reached down to tighten his grip on her. "I don't know what you are doing, but I'm planning on taking this really beautiful girl that I've been dating for eight weeks out ten pin bowling. That is, if she will agree to go with me," he smirked.

"Beautiful girl, huh?" Elsa murmured as a sly smile crept across her face. "Do I know this girl?"

Leaning down, he placed a quick kiss on her lips. "You do," he replied. "You're quite close to her. In fact, it's almost as if you are the same person."

She giggled before tilting her head to look at him. "You're in luck, Frost. I happen to know that this girl would love to go bowling with you."

Smirking, he pulled her close to him and nuzzled his head against her neck. "I knew she would," he boasted.

Tightening his grip, he leaned in to press a soft kiss on Elsa's lips. He felt Elsa's body relax as she pressed herself closer to him. Breaking the kiss, he turned to grin at her before he moved his hand down to softly squeeze her bottom. He chuckled as Elsa let out a soft squeal from the contact.

* * *

The sound of birds chirping outside her window woke Elsa from her sleep. Rolling over, she checked the time. Her eyes widened when she realised that it was almost midday and the longest that she had slept for a long time. Sitting up, she stretched her arms out and pushed the blanket aside. Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, her eyes fell on the small plastic trophy that Jack had bought for her following their bowling date. He'd claimed that she had earned the prize as a reward for beating him.

Standing up, she made her way to the window. She peeled back the curtains to survey the ground below. Her eyes fell on the brown dirt that was beginning to appear as the last of the winter snow melted. Grinning, she turned and padded over to her chest of drawers. She pulled out a pair of trackpants and a t-shirt to wear and threw them on before heading downstairs.

She found her mum in the kitchen furiously mixing a chocolate cake batter around a bowl. Her eyes lit up as she turned to face Elsa. "Morning, hun. Did you have a good sleep?" she asked.

"Yeah, apparently so," Elsa replied, switching the kettle on. "I haven't slept that long for a while."

"You must have needed it," Lillian surmised. "How did the bowling go last night?"

"Bowling was good. I didn't get hurt, nor did I drop the ball on my feet. Somehow I managed to win the game," she replied, sipping at her coffee. "I even got a little trophy for my effort."

Lillian laughed and reached over to pull Elsa into a hug. "So, in other words it was a pretty successful night then?"

Elsa smiled. The memory of Jack dancing around her, pulling silly faces while trying to throw her off her game played in her head. "I'd say so," she agreed.

The sound of a throat clearing behind them caused both women to jump. "Finally decided to join the land of the living, Elsa?" Walt asked.

Pausing, she turned to smile at her father as he made his way to sit at the table with the Sunday paper tucked under his arms.

"Well, you know, Mum's making chocolate cake. I have to come to reserve my slice before Anna gets a chance to steal it," she joked.

A soft chuckle escaped her father's lips and he looked at her. "Good point," he nodded. "Your sister is awfully demanding when it comes to chocolate."

"Anything of interest in the paper, dear?" Lillian asked, reaching around to hand a cup of coffee to her husband.

"Unless you count the latest self promoting piece about Guardians and their newest store as news, then no." Walt grumbled.

Elsa's head shot up at the mention of the Guardians. She remembered that Jack had said something about an article appearing in the paper. "Dad, can I ask you something?" she asked tentatively.

"Of course, Elsa," he replied, furrowing his brow. "Ask me anything you want."

Clearing her throat, Elsa looked at him. "I was wondering if you could tell me why you hate Nick North and his family so much?" she asked, wringing her hands together. "I mean, I know his nephew, Jack. We went through school and are in uni together. We had to work on a project together as you know. Aside from that one issue at the beginning, he was actually really good. He worked hard and helped us pass."

Her father stiffened. He narrowed his eyes before turning to glare at her. "That family is nothing but back-stabbing, untrustworthy scum, Elsa. They always have been and always will be," he grumbled. "The reason you passed that assignment is because you always work hard. You're a good student and a good worker."

She shook her head. "No, Dad. Jack and the other two team members worked just as hard as I did. It was a group effort," she protested.

"Elsa, enough," Walt ordered, glaring at her. "We've been over this before. You can not trust that family, or anyone who works for them."

Biting her lip, she stared at him. "Dad, you are expecting me to be the future CEO and to continue my studies so that I can work for the company. You have always asked me to trust in your decisions and your reasons for hating the Guardians. I'm getting older now and my uni studies are getting close to being over. How can you expect me to be a good worker and a good CEO if I don't have the knowledge as to _why _we have this rivalry with the Guardians chain?" she stated. "I'd just like to know the truth."

Her father let out a loud exhale and shifted uncomfortably on his seat. Frowning, he turned to study her face as if considering his response.

"She's got a point, Walt," Lillian said, coming to stand beside Elsa. "I know you hate talking about it, but Elsa did raise a good point. It's time she knew."

Her father sighed. He pushed his empty cup out the way and turned to face her. "Alright," he agreed. "I suggest that you take a seat. It's a long story."

* * *

Elsa pressed enter on her laptop and waited. She had spent the last hour chatting online with Jack. After a bit of coaxing, her father had finally relented and had given her his reasons for hating Jack's family. Jack had tried to find out more information about the rivalry from his uncle, but had been brushed off. His uncle had simply waved him away after telling him that it was complicated and painful.

Elsa had struggled to comprehend the story that her father had told her. She had sat speechless while he told her how as children, he and Nicholas North had been best friends. They had gone through school and university together and had even attended each other's wedding. Following university, Walt and Nicholas, together with another friend, David, had opened their first business, a small ice cream store in an outer suburb.

Initially, the business had gone well and had allowed the three friends to make a comfortable living. Nick and Walt had both spent their paychecks wisely and had used the money to purchase their first homes. However, by the third year the cracks in their working relationship had begun to appear. The bills had started to pile up and it had seemed that Nick, who had been in charge of the finances, had not paid the full amount. As the weeks went on, their debt continued to get out of control and they'd had to file for bankruptcy. David had raised the idea that Nick was behind it and had reasoned that he was the one with control of paying bills and lodging the money with the bank. Eventually the business had faltered and the former friends had parted ways as enemies.

Tragic as her father's story was, something hadn't sat right with Elsa. She couldn't help feeling like there was more to the story. The fact that the other man, David, had apparently disappeared a few months after the business collapsed had seemed odd to her. Jack had agreed with her. He had been adamant that something sounded off. He claimed that his uncle was many things, but not a thief. Together, her and Jack had decided to try and find out more in the hope of being able to solve their families broken relationship.

The sound of her phone ringing startled her. Reaching over, she saw Jack's name on the caller ID and smiled as she answered it. Nestling the phone between her shoulder and ear, she crawled onto her bed and pulled the penguin that Jack had bought for her to her chest. Jack, on the other end of the line, was doing his best to reassure her. He was certain that they would get through it. He claimed that if he could get the girl of his dreams after eight years, then anything was possible.

* * *

**A/N- Once again a huge thank you to all of you for reading, reviewing and sharing in this story with me. I love getting your reviews, seeing how they change as the story progresses.**


	18. Chapter 18

The sound of laughter filled the Blanchard home. Inside the large lounge room, Elsa was huddled under a blanket with Lana sharing the other end. Nestled between them was a bowl of popcorn and cans of soft drink which the two girls had left ignored. Their attention was focused on the movie that played on the screen.

The two friends had opted for a rare girls night in, leaving their respective boyfriends to fend for themselves. Elsa had extended an invitation to Anna to join them, but the younger girl had declined citing that she had to work a shift at the store.

As usual, the topic of conversation had turned to boys. More specifically, the fact that the following week was her and Jack's three month anniversary. She knew that Jack had something planned for the occasion, but he'd kept the details vague. The only hint he'd given her was to keep her Friday free and to wear something dressy.

"Any idea what Jack has planned for next week?" Lana quizzed, a knowing smile on her face.

"No idea at all, asides from the fact that he told me to wear something classy and that his family are going to be interstate if I want to stay the night," she replied, blushing madly.

Lana reached over, nudging Elsa. "So, he wants you to stay the night, hey?" she asked. "Are you planning on, you know, staying over?"

She could feel the blush rising in her cheeks. "I think so," she whispered.

Lana nodded, reaching over to grip Elsa's hand. "You know he'd not make you do anything you don't want to. You also know that you don't have to do anything that you don't want to right?"

"I know he wouldn't," she murmured. "I want to though and I want it to be with him."

The sound of the front door opening broke the two friends from their conversation. Looking up, they saw Anna enter the house, a small frown masked her face as she glanced towards the lounge room before hurrying up the stairs. Shrugging, Elsa made a mental note to talk to her the following day.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Elsa rapped on Anna's bedroom door. She couldn't help feeling concerned for Anna, having noticed a change in her sisters attitude at work earlier. The youngest Blanchard had come across distant, moody and not her usual bubbly self. She had hoped to broach the subject earlier, but the warm spring weather had seen an increase in customers coming in to the store and had kept her busy.

Anna opened the door, raising an eyebrow as she took the sight of Elsa before her. "What's up, Elsa?" she asked, stifling a yawn.

"I could ask you the same thing," Elsa replied, brushing past her to take a seat on the bed. "Something's wrong, and I'm not leaving here until I know what."

Anna sighed and shut her door. "Nothing's wrong, El, I promise. I'm just tired," she muttered.

"Anna, you're my sister, I know when something is up with you. You looked a bit upset last night and you were acting different at work today," Elsa insisted, pulling a plush toy to her chest.

"Elsa, please, nothing is wrong. I'm telling you that now," Anna protested, crossing her arms over her chest.

"That's a lie and you know it, Anna. Whatever it is, you can tell me," Elsa coaxed, shaking her head.

Sighing, Anna looked at her, a sour expression on her face. "You know what, why don't you just go talk to Lana? After all, she's your friend," she snapped.

Gasping, Elsa looked at her. "Wait, what does Lana have to do with this?" she asked.

Anna looked away and bowed her head. "Nothing, except for the fact that ever since you and her became friends, I never see you anymore," she pointed out.

"Anna," she began, reaching her hand out for Anna's. "Lana's my friend, but you are my sister. I'm always here for you."

"It's not just Lana though, Elsa," Anna whispered. "Ever since you became friends with her, you've spent more time away from the house and I've had to work more shifts. The more I work, the less time I have to see you, Kristoff, or Punzie."

Elsa stared at her, slowly getting up from the bed. "You mean to tell me you're jealous because I finally made a friend and start to get the smallest hint of a social life?" she questioned. "Or is it the fact that you suddenly have to work a few more shifts?"

Shaking her head, Anna looked at her. "Maybe you should look at who your friend associates with," she muttered. "I know that Lana's boyfriend is friends with Jack Frost. I've seen them hanging out. You don't want to be caught hanging with Jack, he's - "

"He's what, Anna?" she interrupted glaring at her.

"He's bad news, Elsa. You know that, Mum and Dad know that, Punzie knows it and even Hans knew it," Anna hissed. "All I'm saying is you really have to question someone whose boyfriend is friends with a guy like Jack."

"So, I guess in that case you have to question me?" Elsa snapped. "Because I'm friends with someone whose boyfriend is friends with Jack."

"Elsa, no," Anna cried. "It's just, you don't want to get caught up with him or his kind. Look, I'm sorry, I'm just tired and stressed from uni. I know you'd not be stupid enough to get caught up with someone like Jack voluntarily."

Elsa sighed. "Look, it's obvious you're tired. I'm just going to leave you to rest. If you need me you know where I am," she whispered, pulling the door closed behind her.

Shaking her head, she made her way into her bedroom and shut the door. She carefully pulled her clothes off and changed into her pyjamas.

Crawling under the covers, she could feel the hot tears streaming down her face. She hated holding back from Anna. Their entire life they had enjoyed a close relationship. Not only were they sisters, but they were friends as well. Having to keep the news of her relationship with Jack from Anna had been tough. There were many times over the course of the past eleven weeks that she'd wished she could have told Anna about her and Jack. She wished to be able to let Anna know, to tell her the real reason behind the smile that had started to appear on her face, or to spend time with her sister and boyfriend, but she couldn't. At least not when Anna continued to hold onto the same negative view of Jack that their parents shared.

* * *

Jack couldn't help humming along to the tune on the radio while he checked his appearance in the mirror. His eyes glanced over the suit and he tugged on it, making sure that it sat correctly. He wasn't normally a fan of wearing suits, however, the date he'd planned to celebrate his and Elsa's three month anniversary was special and he wanted to look extra nice. He'd even gone as far to beg his cousin Thia to iron the suit for him, desperate to look presentable for Elsa who would no doubt look gorgeous as always.

It had been some stroke of luck that this aunt, uncle and cousin had been called away to attend the birthday party of one of his aunt's cousin's over the weekend. The three of them had left early that morning, leaving him and Emily home alone over the weekend. A carefully planned conversation with his sister had seen her managing to score an invite to spend the evening with a friend, which left him with an empty house for the night. From there, he'd shyly invited Elsa to spend the night. He'd been quick to reassure her that they didn't have to do anything that she didn't want to. He simply wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.

Glancing at his watch, he could feel the nerves setting in. Elsa was due to arrive soon and he knew from the eight years he'd spent crushing on her and their three months dating that his girlfriend was ridiculously punctual. Slowly, he made his way downstairs and opened the large gate to the house which would allow Elsa to drive right in.

Dashing upstairs, he quickly checked the state of Emily's room. He'd assured Elsa that she was free to spend the night in Emily's room if she wanted to. He breathed a sigh of relief upon noticing that it was reasonably tidy for a thirteen year old. He pulled the door shut, carefully making his way to inspect his own room. His eyes fell on a pile of dirty clothes which he scooped up and tossed into the laundry hamper.

He'd only just spritzed on some cologne when the doorbell rung, alerting him to Elsa's presence. Grinning, he raced downstairs to let her in.

Opening the door, he could feel his jaw drop as his eyes glanced over his gorgeous girlfriend. He'd seen Elsa dressed up plenty of times for corporate events, however, standing on his doorway, she managed to look even more beautiful. He grinned, noting the faint blush on her face as he took in her dress. She'd chosen a simple black dress with a sleeveless lace trim that fell to sit halfway above her knees before flaring out. Her long, platinum blonde hair was styled down, falling in soft waves around her pale face with a few silver clips holding it down. Her outfit was paired with a simple pair of black heels. Somehow, she had managed to look classy without having gone overboard.

"Woah," he exclaimed, failing to hold his smile back. "You look so incredibly beautiful."

"Thank you," Elsa smiled. "You look gorgeous too."

Grabbing her hand, he pulled her towards him, his hands sneaking around her waist as he leaned down to place a quick kiss on her lips.

Breaking apart he bowed, a wide grin crossing his face. "Welcome, milady, allow me to give you the grand tour," he joked, linking his elbow through Elsa's.

He watched as Elsa's eyes widened as he led her on a small tour of his home. He led her into the lounge room and felt a tug on his hand. Blinking, he turned and noticed that her attention had been caught by a collection of childhood photographs that were displayed on a display cabinet. A small smirk crossed her face upon noticing a picture of him as a toddler.

Stepping back, he watched as she continued to browse the photo's until she saw a photo of nine-year-old Jack with his mum and one-year-old Emily. Sighing, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her towards him and resting her head on his shoulder.

"She was beautiful," Elsa said softly, her body sinking back into his. "I'm sorry."

"She was," he agreed. "She would have loved you."

* * *

Elsa leaned back against the seat, a soft smile played on her lips as Jack tapped his fingers along to the beat of the song.

She had no idea what Jack had planned, or where he was taking her. All she knew was that after arriving at his house, he had been quick to take her overnight bag and place it in his room before he'd ushered her out of the house.

He'd led her to her car with no hint as to where they were going, or why. All he had said was that she looked beautiful in her dress and that she was suitably dressed for where they were going. He'd not stopped complimenting her about her dress and her appearance. His face had broken into a wide smile the minute he had laid eyes on her and hadn't left since. She had blushed before pointing out that he was also looking quite good in his suit.

Her own jaw had nearly dropped upon seeing Jack in his suit. She had been expecting to find him in one of his neat pairs of jeans and a nice blazer, so the suit had blown her away. She had seen him in suits at business events, but had never taken the time to appreciate how incredibly handsome he looked while wearing them. Still, despite the presence of his expensive suit, she was glad to see that his hair was in its normal tousled state. She had mentioned his hair to him and he had joked that no matter how hard he tried, he could not get his hair to co-operate.

Shaking her head, she shifted her attention to staring out the window. Her eyes widened as she noticed that they were pulling into a parking lot in the middle of Arendelle's theatre district.

Smiling, she turned to glance at Jack in the hopes that he may give her a clue, but it was no use. He showed no emotion, except for a tight-lipped smile as he pulled the car into park. Switching the car off, he exited the car and dashed around to open the car door for her.

Gripping his hand, she allowed Jack to lead her amongst the many theatres that lined the streets. Her eyes widened as she saw the wide selection of shows that were currently playing.

They walked in silence for a few minutes until they had reached the grand Festival Theatre, one of the oldest in the city.

"We're here, El," Jack declared, his eyes twinkling.

She turned to study the name of the show that was playing and gasped. "Jack!" she exclaimed, squeezing his hand in delight. "The Phantom of the Opera?!"

"It's your favourite show is it not?" Jack teased, leading her through the entrance into the foyer. "I figured we'd get here early, have a bit of lunch and then see the show."

"It is, but how did you know?" she asked, beaming at him.

Jack smirked, reaching down to press a kiss on her cheek. "I have my ways," he teased.

She nodded, taking Jack's hand as he led her towards the small cafe and guided her to a table. She chuckled as he handed her a menu and made a point to tell her that he _would _be paying for both of them.

* * *

Jack smiled. He couldn't help feeling proud that he had managed to leave Elsa speechless. It hadn't been easy. He had put a lot of work into planning the surprise for her.

His first course of action had been Lana. He knew that Elsa loved the theatre and had asked Lana to find out what Elsa's favourite shows were and what ones she wished to see. Once she had sent the list to him, he had looked online to find what shows were playing. It had been sheer good luck that Elsa's all-time favourite show had been listed as playing nearby. A few minutes was all it had taken for him to book online and secure tickets to the show. The tickets had arrived two weeks earlier and he'd then been forced to refrain from revealing the plans to Elsa.

Keeping it a secret from Elsa had been hard, but the reward had been worth it. He had thought it was adorable when she had realised they were parking in the theatre district. However, nothing could compare to the look that had swept across her face when she had realised what he had organised. She had looked so incredibly adorable and excited. His only regret had been that he had not thought to bring his camera so that he could snap a few pictures of her face. Still, the smile that she had broken into was not one he could forget easily.

After she had recovered from the shock, he had taken her for a quick lunch. Once they'd had lunch, he had led her to their seats in the theatre. He had been lucky to secure seats close to the stage and in the centre, giving them a great view. He had waited for Elsa to sit down before he had whipped out his phone and snapped a quick photo of the two of them while they waited for the show to start.

As the lights had dimmed, Elsa had reached over to grip his hand in excitement. He had leaned over to wrap his arm around her waist. He had felt slightly nervous about the show. The theatre was not his idea of fun, he would much rather spend his time at a hockey game, concert or a movie. However, Elsa loved the theatre and he loved Elsa.

He had been pleasantly surprised to find that the show wasn't that bad. At times he had found it quite enjoyable. Although, he reasoned that part of his enjoyment had come from seeing the way it had affected Elsa. He had stolen glances at her during the show and had felt his heart melting upon seeing her expression. She had remained on the edge of her seat and had appeared to be in pure bliss during the entire show. When the final cast member had taken their bow, he had found himself standing to his feet and clapping enthusiastically with the rest of the audience.

"So, that was actually pretty good," he conceded, gently guiding Elsa towards the passenger seat of his car.

"It gets better every time," Elsa noted sliding into the passenger seat. "I really can't believe you did that for me, Jack."

" I'd do anything for you, El, you know that. Although, that said there may have been an ulterior motive. I figured that if I took you to the theatre for our three month anniversary then you can take me to see a movie of my choice for our four month anniversary," he joked, waggling his eyebrows.

A soft chuckle escaped her lips. "It's a deal," she vowed. "You have exactly one month to find a movie you want to see."

He grinned, redirecting his attention to the peak hour traffic as he navigated his car back home. Beside him he could hear Elsa as she hummed a tune from the show, her hands playing with the souvenir cap which she had bought for him.

* * *

Jack looked around the lounge room. He shook his head as he reminded himself that Elsa was really there, relaxing with him in his home and that she would remain with him for the rest of the night.

The jacket that he had worn, as well as Elsa's heels, had been discarded not long after they had entered his home. Both him and Elsa had been eager to rid themselves of the restrictive items. After a bit of deliberation, they had settled on Chinese takeout for dinner with the empty containers having already been placed in the bin.

Once they had finished dinner, he had settled on the couch. He'd pulled Elsa to join him, positioning her so that she rested between his legs where he could hold her tight. He'd flicked the TV onto a channel for background noise.

He shivered at the feeling of Elsa's fingers as they lightly trailed a path up and down his arms. Leaning down, he buried his head in her hair and breathed in the scent of her shampoo. He felt her tilt her head to face him. Glancing down, he could see her blue eyes studying him from under her long lashes.

"I love you," she whispered.

He gulped. He could feel his heart pounding as the words that she had said sunk in. Opening his mouth, he was suddenly struck with being speechless. Three small words, said to him by the woman of his dreams, had left him unable to form a coherent sentence.

He felt her shift position as she pulled away from his chest. "I love you too, El," he murmured, gently pulling her back towards him before brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I always have and always will."

Her eyes widened. Slowly, she disentangled herself and turned around to face him. Her gaze fixed on his and he noted the small sign of tears in the corner of her eyes. Reaching out, he pulled her back to him and positioned her so that she was sitting on his lap. Slowly, he moved his hand to cup her face as he pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

She moved fast. Within an instant she had placed a hand on his chest while the other reached to brush through his hair. Grinning, he draped a hand around her back and pulled her close while his other hand stroked at her face. He felt Elsa tighten her grip on him as she deepened the kiss, opening her mouth to allow him access.

Pulling apart, he noticed a deep blush on Elsa's face as she climbed off his lap. Her eyes darted between the doorway and his own eyes. Chuckling, he stood up and extended his hand to help her to her feet. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he brought her closer to him before pressing a series of kisses from her neck to her jaw.

Leaning down, he grabbed the remote and switched the TV off. "Come on," he whispered, taking her hand in his as he led her upstairs.

Pushing open the door to his room, he paused to look at her. He noted how she was biting her lip while her eyes flicked between him and his bed. Gently, he placed his hand under her chin and tilted her head to meet his gaze. "El, we don't have to do anything that you don't want to do," he insisted. "I promise. I can wait, if it's what you want."

Shaking her head, she turned to look him in the eyes. "No, Jack. I want to," she whispered. "I want to do this. I want it to be with you tonight."

He nodded, slowly shutting the door before pulling Elsa towards him. He could feel her body soften as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Leaning towards her, he placed a series of quick kisses on her lips. Pulling back, he reached around and to grip the zipper of her dress. He fumbled slightly before he pulled it down. Stepping back, he watched as Elsa shyly shuffled out of her dress, leaving her in only her matching underwear set. He could feel his eyes widening as he took in the sight of her pale, flawless skin and her slender body with curves in all the right places. She really was perfection, in every sense of the word.

"Jack?" she called, biting her lip.

Shaking his head, he realised that he had been staring. "Right, uh, sorry," he stammered. "You're flawless, El. You really are perfection."

She blushed. Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around his neck to close the gap between them. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to her lips. Slowly, he placed his hands on her bottom and gently lifted her up before stumbling forward. Carefully, he leaned down to place her on his bed before climbing in over her.

Her hands reached to his shirt as she worked to unbutton it and push it back. Pulling back, he removed the shirt and tossed it to lie in the corner. He turned back to face her, smirking slightly when he noticed the way her eyes had skimmed over his bare chest. Gently, he pushed her back so that she was lying down. Leaning down he kissed her, one hand softly following the curves of her body, the other he used to support his weight.

He heard her let out a soft moan as their kisses deepened and her hands reached to stroke through his hair. Slowly, she arched her back which allowed him to slip his hands underneath her. His fingers fumbled as he tried unsuccessfully to unclasp her bra. Sighing, he pulled back when the small undergarment proved to be too challenging for his novice fingers.

Elsa glanced at him. She shuffled beneath him before sitting up and reaching behind to unhook her bra. Within a second, she had removed it and had tossed it to join her dress and his shirt on the floor. Gulping, he diverted his eyes so that he wasn't caught staring at her perky breasts. He rolled over as he moved to undo his pants. He slowly pushed them down and tossed them to the floor, leaving them both in only their underpants.

Slowly, he pushed her back down, coming to rest on his elbows above her. He could feel his heart pounding as he took in the sight of the beautiful woman before him. Not just any woman, his girlfriend, the girl of his dreams who he loved and who loved him. Her arms reached to wrap around his neck, pulling him closer to her. She pressed a trail of kisses from his collarbone, up his neck until she reached his mouth. Gingerly, he reached out and gently traced a hand over one of her breasts, squeezing it and lightly tracing a finger over her nipple.

He glanced down at Elsa, watching as she moved her hands down to play with the waist of his boxer briefs.

"Here," he murmured. Reaching down, he slipped the briefs over his legs, leaving him completely naked.

He watched as Elsa stole a glance over his naked body, a deep blush spreading across her face. Somehow, the blush only served to make her even more endearing. Chuckling, he leaned down, pressing a kiss to her cheeks.

* * *

Elsa could feel her heart beating. Her hands reached out, wrapping around Jack's neck as he gently shifted their position so that she was lying on his pillows.

She had been unable to control the blush that had spread to her face after seeing him completely naked. Sensing her shyness, Jack had been quick to react and had leant down to kiss her. They had kissed for a while, their hands timidly roaming each other's body until Jack had broken the kiss. He'd said nothing and had given her a shy smile before he moved down to gently tug her underpants off her.

She could feel his erection pressing against her as he gently stroked at her face. His eyes locked onto hers, seeking permission to go ahead. Even now, with his arousal evident, he was still putting her first, making sure that she felt safe and secure and letting her know that she was in control. She nodded and reached her hand out to rest against his firm chest. Slowly, he reached his hand down and positioned himself at her entrance. He paused and moved to rest his forehead against hers. He looked down at her, catching her gaze as he slowly entered her.

She let out a small gasp, taking a moment to get used to the feeling of him inside her. His eyes widened as he paused to look at her with concern. "I'm okay," she murmured, reaching up to stroke his face.

He nodded, moving his head to kiss her hand before slowly thrusting in. She could feel the initial ache gradually subsiding as his thrusts slowly picked up speed. Tentatively, he reached to squeeze her boob, softly flicking over the nipple which caused her to let out a soft moan.

She buried her head against his neck, softly kissing and nipping at the delicate skin while Jack continued to thrust. Slowly, she arched her back, bringing her hips up to meet Jack's thrusts.

* * *

Jack grunted. He could feel his body shuddering as he continued to thrust into Elsa. He'd moved slowly at first, wary of hurting her. However, the concern of accidentally hurting her had subsided when she'd nodded, letting him know it was okay to continue.

He waited for Elsa to wrap her legs around his waist before picking up the pace. He began increasing the speed of his thrusts while she continued to kiss and nip at his neck. He let out a soft moan at the feeling of Elsa so tight around him. He could feel his release coming. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to her lips. His tongue brushed against her lips, seeking access which she granted. He could feel the sweat forming as he thrust into her one last time before he came, his body relaxing as he collapsed on top of her.

Panting, he rolled off her. He pulled her to rest on his chest before tugging the covers over their bodies. He felt her shift in his arms as she tilted her mouth up to press a kiss on his lips.

They lay in silence for a while, softly trailing their fingers up and down each others arms and sharing kisses. He still couldn't believe that she was with him, that someone as perfect as Elsa could love someone like him.

After a few minutes, he felt her shift onto her side. Releasing his grip on her, he realised that she had fallen asleep. He felt his heart melt as he gently shifted her so that she was comfortable. Lying down, he draped his arm over her hip as he took in her sleeping form. He let out a content sigh as he took in her beauty. Even when sleeping, Elsa managed to look like a flawless angel.

* * *

Groggily, Elsa reached over to turn her alarm off. Her eyes glanced over at Jack as she took in the sight of him sprawled on his back, his mouth slightly open while soft snores sounded from his mouth. Somehow he managed to look gorgeous even while fast asleep. She felt like her heart could burst with love. The night before had been nothing short of amazing and she'd felt lucky that of all the people to share in such an act with, it was Jack. Leaning down, she stroked at his hand before placing a soft kiss on his forehead.

Sighing, she slipped out of the bed. She grabbed her work clothes and the spare towel that Jack had placed out for her. With one last look at Jack, she opened the door and padded across the hall to the bathroom. She turned the taps on and waited for the water to heat up before stepping under the shower. Humming a happy tune, she quickly washed her hair and cleaned herself before stepping out of the shower.

After getting dressed, she crept back to Jack's room. She felt her heart melting upon noticing that he was still fast asleep. Silently, she bent down to pack her clothes back into her overnight bag. Sighing, she grabbed her shoes and socks before taking a seat on the bed.

The sudden appearance of Jack's arms around her waist startled her. She felt the mattress dip as he shuffled to sit behind her. A few seconds later and his hands had found their way to her face, tilting her head so that he could press a kiss to her lips.

"Don't go," he murmured. "Stay with me. like this."

She sighed and turned to face him. "I wish I could," she whispered, running her hand through his hair. "I would do anything to not have to leave you now, but I can't."

She watched as his face fell to a pout. Without saying a word, he got up and made his way over to his wardrobe. She watched as he pulled out a fresh pair of underwear and a pair of track-pants and slipped them on. Shaking her head, she moved to grab her overnight bag.

She cast one last longing look at Jack's bed. She wished that she could just blow off work and spend the day with him, but she couldn't. Not without her father throwing a fit. Sighing, she grabbed Jack's hand and pulled him out the room.

* * *

They had stood by her car in a tight embrace. Neither one of them wanted to part. She had hoped that sharing in a few kisses with him would make it easier to say goodbye, but it hadn't.

Reluctantly, she had broken the kiss and reached to stroke his face. She hated having to leave him. She'd looked into his eyes, the expression on his face had told her that he was having just as much trouble letting her go. She'd let out a loud exhale before she'd leaned in close to kiss him one last time.

Elsa glanced in the rear-view mirror as she watched Jack fade from view. He'd stood at the gate of his home, waving dejectedly and watching her leave. Turning the radio up, she tried to psych herself up for the long day ahead of her.

* * *

**A/N- I want to shout out and thank my friend Oninoko for going over a few scenes with me. This was such a fun chapter to write. **

**Once again, thank you all for your continued support, and reviews, messages. They truly mean a lot. **


	19. Chapter 19

Two weeks had passed since Elsa had spent the night at Jack's. The night they had shared with each other had only sought to bring them even closer. Ever since that night, they had found that their kisses became more passionate and their hands travelled to more intimate places. While their relationship was continuing to strengthen, the relationship between Elsa and her sister was starting to crack.

Tension between Elsa and Anna had continued to be at an all-time high. Walt Blanchard had started to give Elsa more shifts in Kingdom headquarters in order to prepare her for her eventual role as CEO. In order to cover for Elsa, Anna had been assigned more shifts in the flagship store, much to her dismay. The added workload, combined with her uni work and unresolved jealousy over Lana and Elsa's friendship, had seen the youngest Blanchard becoming increasingly short-tempered and snappy.

Elsa had turned to her mother in order to try and figure out how to cope with Anna's attitude towards her. Her mother had patiently sat her down and had reminded her that the behaviour was not unexpected. She had claimed that Anna had grown accustomed to her sister being there. Whether she was at work, school or, uni, Elsa had always been easily accessible. However, Elsa's slight social life, coupled with her changing work responsibilities meant that the dynamic had changed. Lillian's advice had been for Elsa to try and make time to devote purely to her relationship with Anna.

In order to try and mend the cracks, Elsa had started to take a mug of hot chocolate to her sister at the end of the night. She had hoped that it would help prove to Anna that she would always be an important person in her life. However, despite her good intentions, Elsa had found their chats to be strained. Most of the time, their talks were dominated by Anna talking about the latest development in her and Kristoff's relationship. Each time their talk turned to relationships, Elsa had found her mind wandering to Jack. A few times she had felt close to telling Anna about her relationship, only to lose her nerve at the last minute.

* * *

The morning had started like any other. After waking, Elsa had popped into the shower and had prepared for her day at university. Once dressed, she had headed downstairs and had found her mother hurrying around while she prepared for work. She had explained that Walt's secretary had called in sick, which meant that she had to fill in at Kingdom headquarters. As usual, Anna had been running late. She had raced around the house and had tried to tame her hair all the while she shovelled a piece of toast in her mouth.

Biting her lip, Elsa had checked the time on her phone. After finishing her toast, Anna had raced upstairs and hadn't been seen since. Groaning, she'd made her way to the staircase. "Anna," she'd called. "You have exactly five minutes to get in the car, or I'm leaving without you."

Elsa had heard a loud thud, followed by a door being pulled shut. Moments later, her sister had appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Anna had panted, brushing past Elsa as she raced down the stairs and out the front door.

Rolling her eyes, Elsa had followed her sister out the door. She'd pulled the front door closed behind her and locked it. After tossing her bag into the boot, she had climbed behind the steering wheel and had slipped the key into the ignition.

They had driven in silence for a while. Elsa had been focused on the road and Anna had been distracted by Facebook on her phone.

"Elsa," Anna whispered. "Why do you sit with Jack Frost in the cafeteria?"

Elsa gulped. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel as she turned the car onto the road that led to their university. "He's a good friend of Lana's boyfriend, Fred. Fred, Jack and Jamie, the other boy who sits with us, are all good friends." she replied.

"Us, Elsa? I thought that you were only friends with Lana," Anna said, shifting in her seat to stare at Elsa. "Flynn told Punzie that he has seen you sitting at their table. He said that you're always sitting next to Jack."

Biting her lip, Elsa glanced at her sister. "I am friends with Lana. The guys are all great as well," she said. "It just happens that I normally end up sitting next to Jack."

"So move," Anna said, shifting her attention back to her phone. "It's not like you have to sit next to him, or even talk to him. You are friends with Lana, not him. It's not your fault that her boyfriend is dumb enough to be friends with Jack.

"That's enough, Anna," she sighed. "You barely know Lana and you don't know the guys. Fred, Lana's boyfriend, is lovely. Jamie, the other guy, is really nice and Jack...Jack is, he's -"

"Jack is what, Elsa?" Anna interrupted, tilting her head as she fixed her gaze on Elsa. "Jack is the nephew of the guy who betrayed Dad. He beat up Hans for no good reason and he's been a complete asshole to you. Jack Frost is nothing but an arrogant, lazy, rich boy. You really need to consider your friendship with Lana if it means that you have to associate with people like Jack. Do you not remember Dad saying that Jack and his family can't be trusted?"

She let out a loud sigh and pulled the car into an empty park. Switching off the motor, she turned to face Anna. "Jack really isn't who you think he is, Anna. I know how he comes across, but I've got to know him a bit more and he isn't who I thought him to be. He's actually a really nice guy. True, he was a jerk earlier, but he apologised and we've moved past that. He has been really friendly towards me - "

"Friendly? Elsa, Dad was friends with Jack's uncle - best friends in fact and look what happened there. His uncle did the dirty on Dad. Jack is probably only being nice to you in order to get company information. You've heard what Dad has said. Their stores are closing in on us and they poached Collette from us," Anna snapped.

Swallowing the lump that had formed, Elsa exited the car and grabbed her bag from the boot. "Anna," she warned, following her across the yard. "Please."

She watched as her sister spun on her heels and turned to grip her arm. "Elsa, just listen to me. All I am saying is, watch your back and watch what you say," Anna hissed. "I don't want to see our company falter or for Dad to lose the business again."

Looking up, Elsa spotted Jack waiting for her. He was perched against the entrance of the business studies campus with his backpack slung low over his shoulder. Shaking her head, she broke out of her sister's grip. "Anna, I have to go," she whispered.

Anna nodded. Sighing, she looked at her. "Just be careful, Elsa. You are too nice a girl. I just don't want you to get hurt," she said, shifting her bag from one shoulder to the other. "I have to go anyway, Kristoff is waiting for me."

She watched as Anna turned and raced off in the direction of the art studies campus. Blinking back the tears, she turned and caught Jack's gaze. Shaking her head, she started moving towards the business studies campus. She had wanted to tell Anna, to let her know the truth, but she just couldn't. Every time Jack came up in conversation, her sister would shoot her down.

* * *

Jack frowned. He'd watched as Elsa had stood deep in conversation with her younger sister. He had sensed that she wasn't happy. Her arms had been wrapped around her tiny frame while her sister had continued to talk. He'd seen the stony look on Anna's face and the way Elsa had avoided eye contact and had appeared defeated and had come to the conclusion that he was the topic of conversation.

He had expected that her sister would start to ask questions. He had spied Flynn Rider staring at him and Elsa in the cafeteria a few times. He knew of Flynn from their hockey team and knew that he dated Elsa and Anna's cousin, Rapunzel. He also knew that Anna was best friends with Rapunzel and from what Elsa said, the two girls told each other everything.

Glancing up, he watched as Elsa slowly approached him. "El" he called.

Elsa looked up to face him, but said nothing. He frowned as he noticed the way her eyes were lined with tears. Sighing, he moved to close the gap between them. His arms reached out as he pulled her into a tight hug.

"Babe, what's wrong?" he asked as he stroked a hand through her hair.

For a moment, no one spoke. He heard Elsa let out a few sniffs as she curled her fingers around his t-shirt before releasing the material. Pulling back, she tilted her head to face him. "I can't take it anymore, Jack," she cried. "I can't handle holding back on her. I want to tell her, I really do. It's just, everytime I think I can tell her, something happens."

Sighing, he pulled her back into his arms and tightened his grip on her. He knew that hiding their relationship from Anna, as well as their families, was becoming increasingly hard on Elsa. She had always enjoyed a close bond with her sister. Not being able to talk with Anna about their romance was proving to be stressful. However, it appeared that Anna continued to share the same negative opinion of him which only added to Elsa's stress.

"She'll come around, El. It's all going to work out," he murmured. "We just need to give her time."

Elsa's grip on his neck tightened and she let out another sob. "I don't to be here, Jack. My mind is a mess. I just can't cope," she wept.

He paused for a minute before tilting her head to face him. "Then we'll go," he stated, chuckling softly when he saw the horrified expression on her face. "One day off is not going to affect your grade, El. Besides, if your mind is too distracted by this thing with Anna then you are hardly going to be able to concentrate. We can drop your car off at your house and then go for a drive."

"My house," Elsa whispered. "We can go to my house. Mum is working with Dad today and won't be home until at least 6pm. Anna doesn't finish uni until 2:30pm, so we will have the place to ourselves."

He nodded. "I have to leave to pick Em up from school for 3:10pm anyway, so it works out well. Come on, lets get out of here," he stated, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, they had arrived at the Blanchard home. Jack had parked his car on the street while Elsa had pulled into the driveway. He had felt his heart pounding as he'd entered the large home.

Once inside the grand home, he had stopped to examine the expensive furniture and the professionally styled family portraits.

"If you're looking for the embarrassing toddler photo's then you're out of luck," Elsa murmured, coming to stand behind him. "I'm afraid the only photo's displayed in public areas of the home are these boring styled photo's. It is all about presenting the best image, as you know."

Smirking, he turned to slip an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. "I'm willing to bet that the 'best image' does not include sneaking your devilishly handsome boyfriend into your home when your parents are out," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"I'm willing to bet you're right about that," Elsa teased as she pulled out of his grip and beckoned him to follow her.

* * *

Elsa sighed as she leaned in to Jack's embrace.

Once again, she had been surprised by how easily Jack had read her emotions. He had quickly picked up on her mood and had listened to her while she had sobbed about the fight with Anna. He had then suggested they ditch class for the day.

They had arrived at her home and she had grabbed a drink for the two of them before she had led him to her bedroom. She had slipped a movie onto her blu ray player and had settled onto the bed. She had pressed play and Jack had pulled her close to him. She had tried to be strong, but had ended up in tears once again. Jack had reacted instantly and had paused the movie before tightening his grip on her.

He had waited for her tears to stop before he'd spoken. Brushing a hand through her hair, he had suggested that they organised to tell Anna about their relationship. He'd put forward the idea that they met with Anna at a cafe on neutral ground where they could fill her in on some of the information that she was not privy to. As always, he had stated that the choice was hers and he would go along with whatever she wanted.

She had found herself unsure about the idea. On the one hand, it had sounded like a great idea. Jack had said that he was happy for Anna to ask him anything she wanted, he had nothing to hide. She'd realised that if the talk went well, it would mean that Anna could spend time with her and Jack away from the home and it could help secure Anna's support for when the time came to tell their parents. However, she had also pointed out that in order to be honest with Anna, it would require her to relive some painful memories.

Jack had then reached over to grab the remote and hit play on the movie, telling her that she didn't have to come up with a decision right away.

The movie had been playing for a little over twenty minutes when Jack had lost focus and had rested his head on her shoulder. She had sighed and moved her head to the side, allowing him better access as he proceeded to trail a series of kisses along her shoulder towards her neck.  
.

"Jack," she moaned, trying to ignore the growing passion in his kisses. "I'm trying to watch the movie."

"Then watch," he murmured, placing a kiss on her jawline. "I won't stop you."

She felt her resolve weakening as he redirected his lips to the crook of her neck, her weak spot. Sighing, she shuffled out of his grip and turned to face him. Her eyes locked onto his before she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"I hate it when you use that against me," she muttered, resting her forehead against his. "It's like you can't keep your hands off me."

Jack smirked. Reaching his arms out, he gently flipped her so that she was lying on her back before positioning himself between her legs. "If you want me to go, I'll go," he teased, leaning down to steal a kiss.

She shook her head. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. She moved one hand to cup the back of her head. Tilting her head, she pressed a kiss to his lips. Arching her back, she waited for Jack to wrap his arms around her waist as he pressed her closer to him. Falling back against the mattress, she moved her hands down to tug at the hem of his shirt, pulling it upwards so that she had access to his bare chest.

Grinning, Jack broke the kiss. Sitting up, he quickly ripped his t-shirt off and tossed it to lie on her floor. "Look who can't keep their hands off me," he teased.

She ignored him. Her hands wrapped around his neck as she pulled him back to her and kissed him. She could feel his body relax as he pulled her thigh up and ran his hand up along it. His other hand cupped the back of her head, deepening the kiss. Slowly, she trailed her hands up and down his bare back.

* * *

Elsa didn't know how long they had been lying there, kissing. She had felt things were started to get heated. Their kisses had grown more passionate and Jack's hands had made their way under her shirt.

With the movie playing in the background and their attention on each other, they had not heard the sound of the front door being opened and closed downstairs. They had not even heard the sound of footsteps as they had made their way up the stairs and towards her bedroom. The soft tap on the bedroom had gone ignored, as had the sound of the door being pushed open.  
.

"Oh my god!" shrieked a loud voice.

Elsa's eyes widened. She pulled her hands off Jack. He reacted instantly, pulling his hands out from their spot on her chest and climbing off her. Sitting up, she found herself staring into the horrified face of Anna. Gulping, she turned to face Jack as he bent down to retrieve his shirt, his face a deep shade of red. Hastily, she ran a hand through her hair before smoothing down her shirt. She could feel her cheeks heating up and said a silent prayer that asides from Jack's shirt being off, things hadn't had a chance to go any further.

"Well, this certainly explains a lot," Anna said, taking a step back.

"Anna, wait. I can explain," she squeaked, throwing a nervous look at Jack. "It's not what you think."

* * *

After straightening his outfit, Jack raced down the stairs. The sound of raised voices told him that the sisters were in the kitchen. He paused at the foot of the stairs before taking a deep breath and entering the room.

"Elsa, are you out of your mind?" Anna shouted, her arms reaching to grip Elsa's hand. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

"Anna, please. Just take a seat and I'll...we'll explain everything, but you need to calm down and listen to me," Elsa pleaded, shaking her arm free of Anna's grasp.

Anna spun on her heels. "What is there to explain, Elsa? That you've been lying to me. Stupid me, here I was feeling guilty for how I spoke to you this morning. I felt so bad that I came home early to plan a way to apologise to you, to make things better. Only, it appears I was too late. You already had someone making you feel better," she spat, shooting a harsh glare at Jack.

"Anna, please - " Elsa began.

"No, Elsa," Anna cut in. "I'm not finished. Now I know why you said Jack had been friendly to you. It appears he's been _very _friendly. At least now I know why you didn't bother to invite me to hang out with you and Lana. I thought it was because you wanted it to be just you and her, but were you even with her? Or were you using the time to fool around with that jackass," she hissed beckoning at Jack.

"Anna," Elsa cautioned, taking a step back. "That's enough, please just let me explain-"

"You've had your time to explain, Elsa," Anna began. "Clearly you've used that time to make some bad decisions. You know, I never thought that you could be the sort of person who could go behind her own family's back. I would not have thought you were capable, but then I also would not have thought you would be dumb enough to let him crawl between your legs."

Jack watched in horror as Elsa let out a strangled cry before wrapping her arms around her tiny waist. He'd tried to refrain from interfering, but now he could see that Elsa was feeling defeated and was losing her nerve as Anna continued to rant.

"That's enough!" he yelled, stepping forward as he wrapped his arms around Elsa's waist.

He watched as Anna fell silent and turned to glare at him. Strengthening his grip on Elsa, he lowered his voice.

"Anna, please. We're not asking you to understand, but we do ask that you can at least keep quiet for a few minutes while your sister and I try and talk with you," he stated calmly. "We want to be honest with you. We were only discussing earlier how we wanted to talk with you. I promise you that if you can allow us a chance to speak, we will answer all your questions. When we've finished, I promise that you can call me every name under the sun and rant at me for as long as you want to. However, you have to let us talk. I know you won't do it for me, but please, do it for Elsa. Regardless of what you think of me, you and I have one thing in common. We both love Elsa."

Holding his breath, he watched as Anna looked between him and Elsa. He could feel Elsa trembling slightly and reached down to press a kiss to her forehead.

"Okay," she agreed. "I'll listen."

He breathed out a sigh of relief and led Elsa to the table, pulling out a seat for her. Sitting down, he shifted his chair closer to Elsa and draped his arm around her waist while Anna grabbed three cans of drink from the fridge.

"Spill," Anna ordered.

Taking a deep breath, he nodded. Starting at the beginning, he confessed how he had been head-over-heels in love with Elsa since they were 13 and how his nerves had always got the better of him, causing him to lose his nerve and act like an idiot.

* * *

Elsa watched as Jack and Anna sat deep in conversation around their kitchen table as they came clean about their relationship.

Anna had remained quiet while she filled her in on how she had come to see Jack in a different light and how they had moved past their previous run-ins. As expected, the toughest part had been telling Anna about the Hans situation and the extent of his cruelty. She had found herself unable to continue and had allowed Jack to take over to explain the way Hans had tried to harm her and had threatened them.

"You mean Hans wanted to...to…" Anna stammered, tears forming in her eyes. "Elsa, I… I-"

"We don't know for sure what he wanted to do, but it's safe to assume that it wasn't nice," Jack interrupted, reaching over to squeeze her hand.

"That is why Hans got in a fight with Jack," she explained. "Jack ran into him and he made a threat against you and I, Anna. Jack warned him, but he didn't listen and he attacked him when his back was turned. It wasn't because Jack is violent, or a jerk."

"Wait, so you actually beat him up for us?" Anna exclaimed, blinking at Jack. "As in both of us?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah, well to be fair, I did try and walk away. It's just when he attacked, he also said some disgusting things about you and Elsa. What he said was not acceptable. I know that I'd be furious if a guy treated my sister like that. The fact that he dared insult the girl of my dreams and her sister didn't exactly go down well either," he said, turning to wink at her.

She frowned. "Anna, I never wanted for you to be hurt by Hans. I know that I should have at least told you about the situation, but I was scared. I didn't want to scare you or make you feel worse. I honestly thought that I was protecting you. I'm sorry," she whispered.

She watched as her sister fell silent. She could see the tears that had formed in Anna's eyes as she took in the new information. Reaching over, she moved to grip her sister's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm so sorry, Elsa," Anna whispered. "I'm sorry to you too, Jack. Hans, he...he uh said that Jack was a major player who used his money to get girls to sleep with him. He said that Jack only stayed with girls long enough to get them into bed before he dumped them."

Beside her, Jack snorted. "I should have known that Hans was spreading some bullshit about me. Anna, I can tell you this and I don't even care who knows. I didn't even bother to date other girls because I was too caught up with my feelings for El, no other girl can come close to her. Hell, I was a virgin until recently. I've only ever dated, kissed and been with one girl," he admitted. "The guy who Hans was talking about, is him."

Anna nodded. "Yeah, I realise that now. Luckily, I didn't give him what he wanted," she admitted.

She watched as the room fell silent before Anna's head jerked up and she looked between Elsa and Jack. "Wait, if you were a virgin until recently, Jack," she began, smirking. "You also said that you've only ever been with the one person...so that means -"

"That's enough, Anna," she chided, blushing as she buried her head in her arms.

She heard Jack let out a small cough. Getting up, she grabbed the empty cans and moved to place them in the recycling bin. Turning around, she found herself face to face with a crying Anna. "Oh, Elsa, I'm so sorry," she cried. "I really should not have said what I did. I was a bitch to you."

"It's okay," she smiled. "I should have been honest with you from the start. We've always been honest in the past. It was just that I wanted to see how the relationship with Jack progressed before letting people know."

Anna nodded. She stumbled slightly as Anna flung her arms around her neck. She let out a sniff as the tears started streaming down her face. Gingerly, she wrapped her arms around her sister and returned her hug. Raising her head, she watched as Jack crossed the room to stand behind her. She felt Anna's grip on her loosen as she made room to bring Jack in, making for an awkward group hug.

A few seconds later, Anna pulled out of the hug to point a finger in Jack's face. "You do realise that if you dare hurt my sister, I will kick your ass don't you?" she threatened, failing to hold back the wide grin on her face.

She felt Jack move to stand behind her, wrapping one arm around her waist as he let out a chuckle. Extending his hand, he reached to shake Anna's hand. "You've got yourself a deal, Anna," he said. "Just don't plan on following through on it. I'd kick my own ass if I ever hurt El."

* * *

Three hours later, Elsa and Anna had gathered in her bedroom with a block of chocolate between them while they caught up on the latest gossip.

Jack had left an hour earlier after successfully answering all of Anna's questions, including the most important question in regards to his opinion on chocolate. He had stared Anna in the eye while he'd told her that yes, chocolate was the most important of treats before he'd excused himself to go collect his sister from her school.

She had left Anna inside the house while she had walked with Jack to his car. Naturally, by the time they had reached Jack's car, Anna had already found her spot at the window to spy on them. She had just thrown her arms around his neck when he had leaned in to inform her of the strawberry-blonde who had failed in her bid to find a good hiding spot. Shaking his head, he had leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips. Anna had then broken from her hiding spot to let out a loud 'Aww.' Blushing, Elsa had sent him on his way and had promised that they would continue when they were safe from her sister's nosy gaze.

Anna had pounced on her the second that she had re-entered the house. She had dragged her to the kitchen to grab a block of chocolate before she'd led her upstairs. She had wasted no time in asking for more information and had begged for more details of their romantic first date and their three-month anniversary date. Elsa had felt her cheeks heating up when Anna had picked up on how momentous the night had been for her.

"Do you love him?" Anna asked, breaking off a piece of chocolate and popping it in her mouth.

Elsa blushed as she turned to face her sister. "Yes," she replied honestly. "I love him. I love him more and more each day."

"And you're happy?" Anna quizzed.

"Happier than I've ever been," she said. "Well, asides from the rivalry and secretiveness, but he makes me happy, yes."

Anna beamed and reached over to give her a hug. "I'm happy for you," she said. "You know, I think you should let me take a few nice couple photo's of you and Jack. I mean, you've shown me the ones on your phone, but let me take some with a real camera."

Reaching over, she gripped her sister's hand and gave it a light squeeze. "That would be nice."

"Elsa," Anna whispered. "You know that when you and Jack decide to tell our parents, I will be there. I'll support you and so will Kristoff.".

* * *

Hitting the end call button, Jack smiled.

It had come as a huge relief to him to hear Elsa's voice down the phone. She had sounded a lot happier than she had when he had first seen her in the morning. She had let him know how her and Anna had continued to talk after he had left. Apparently, he had passed all of Anna's tests and their relationship now had Anna's seal of approval. She had then gone on to tell him how Anna had vowed to support them when needed.

Lying back against his bed, he pulled the blanket over him and breathed out a sigh of relief. Knowing that Elsa had finally been able to open up to her sister had left him feeling like all was right in the world.


	20. Chapter 20

Elsa tightened her grip on her wine glass. Her eyes narrowed as she struggled to maintain her composure. Business functions were never her idea of fun, yet this particular event was proving to be even more tedious.

Her eyes glanced over at Jack who sat lazily draped in a chair. Besides him were two blondes in dresses far too skimpy for an event as classy as this one. The sound of their raucous laughter filled the room, earning them disapproving looks from the older crowd and a harsh glare from Elsa. She watched as Jack glanced up, meeting her gaze before rolling his eyes and checking his watch. She knew that he was bored and was doing his best to deter the girls attention without appearing rude. Still, it didn't make it easier to watch the two girls blatantly attempting to flirt with _her _boyfriend. Especially not when she was under the watchful eye of her father, who was keen to ensure that she presented herself as the dutiful daughter to Arendelle's business elite.

"You are not pretending that the wine glass is those bimbo's necks now are you?" Anna teased, coming to stand beside her.

Shaking her head, she turned to face her sister. "I swear, I am this close to marching over there and accidentally on purpose spilling my wine on them. I just don't want to waste a perfectly good drop of wine on those...those...girls," she muttered.

"Relax, El. Heck, I've only known about your relationship for three weeks and I can already tell you that he's bored out of his brain and wishing he could be with you," Anna pointed out. "However, if you do wish to see those girls covered in drink then allow me the honour. Not only am I stuck drinking boring cola, but I'm also known for being clumsier than you are."

Giggling, she turned to raise her eyebrow at Anna. "You would do that, for me?"

Grinning, Anna looked at her. "Are you kidding? I've always wanted to tip a drink over someone. Besides, we can't have the future CEO of Kingdom Ice Creamery spilling her drink over the air-headed heiresses to an over-priced hotel chain. Trust me, El, I've waited my whole life to do something like this."

The sound of a text message came through, interrupting the two girls from their giggling. Digging in her small clutch, she pulled out her phone. She felt her face breaking into a smile when she noticed the message from Jack. Looking up, she turned her head to catch his gaze and nodded.

"Let me guess, that was him?" Anna quipped, draping her arm around Elsa's shoulder.

"It was," she said, a sly smile forming on her face. "Can you please keep Dad off my back? I need to go to the bathroom."

"I'll do my best," Anna vowed, raising her arm in a mock salute. "Just don't take too long in the 'bathroom,' you don't want Dad to get suspicious."

She nodded. Her eyes scanned the crowded hotel ballroom until she found her parents. Slowly, she made her way to join them. She waited patiently for the conversation to come to a halt before pulling her mother aside and letting her know where she was headed.

* * *

Jack grinned. He watched as Elsa let herself out of the large ballroom doors. Her eyes scanned the large hotel hallway as she looked for him. Stepping away from the pillar where he had been hiding, he let out a low whistle and watched as she turned on her heels to smile widely at him.

With three large strides, he crossed the divide. He scanned the hallway to ensure that no prying eyes were around before taking Elsa's hand. Without saying a word, he tugged her along until they had reached the corridor that led to the hotel's laundry room.

He glanced around their surrounding area and let out a sigh of relief upon realising that they were alone. He had sussed the area out beforehand, it was located in a part of the hotel that was rarely frequented by guests. Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to her lips.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to be in a room with you looking as beautiful as you are and not be able to talk to you? Or hold you?" he whispered, wrapping his arms around her.

"Are you telling me that you were not enjoying a scintillating conversation with the hotel heiresses?" Elsa teased as she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I couldn't help but notice that they seemed fascinated with you."

Smirking, he shifted his head to press a kiss to her neck. "Miss Blanchard, do I detect a hint of sarcasm in your tone? Is it possible that you might be a teensy bit jealous?" he joked.

"Not at all," she protested, bowing her head. "I see no reason to be jealous. It's not like they get to sit with you and talk to you while I am forced to pretend that I don't want to...want to…"

Slowly, he moved his hand to cup her face. He gently lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. "El, those girls are airheads. They are also drunk. Hell, in the past hour I think I mentioned the words 'my girlfriend' at least forty-five times. I'm hoping that by the time we return they will have moved on to bore someone else," he chuckled. "I love you and it's annoying me that you are so close and I can't hold you."

He heard Elsa let out a small sigh before she shifted her head to kiss his hand. "You know, I've got Anna on stand-by. She was determined to accidentally spill her soft drink on them. She was just waiting for my word," she giggled.

"I wish she would have. I could have used the laugh," he murmured, bending his head down to steal a kiss.

He felt Elsa relax in his arms as she pressed her body against his. Her hand reached to cup the back of his head as she deepened the kiss. He moved his hand to stroke through her hair, taking a few strands and twirling it around his finger.

Breaking apart, he rested his forehead against hers before letting out a loud sigh. "We have to go," he whispered. "We can't be out too long. Especially if you gave the 'going to the bathroom' excuse. I mean, I know the rumour is that the line for the girls restroom is longer than for the mens room, but still."

Elsa nodded. "I'll go in first," she said.

Leaning in, she pressed one last kiss to his lips before stepping from his grasp. He watched as she turned to head towards the ballroom, stopping at the door to cast one last glance his way before stepping inside.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Hans knocked on the door. He could hear the sound of his uncle's Great Dane, Nox, barking could be heard immediately. A few seconds later the sound of his uncle's voice sounded as he commanded the dog to be silent.

Slowly, the door opened. "You're late," scolded his uncle, the disdain evident in his voice. "I do hope that you have come with good news to make up for your tardiness."

"I do have some news," Hans stammered, stepping inside the darkened home. "In fact, I think it could be quite useful."

"It better be. I've worked far too hard for all my plans to come undone due to the incompetence of others," sneered the older man, taking a seat in the ornate leather chair. "Be a good nephew and go pour me a whisky."

Hans nodded and headed into the kitchen. He made his way to the cupboard where his uncle kept his whisky. Slowly, he removed the bottle before grabbing a glass from an adjacent cupboard. Grabbing a few ice cubes, he dropped them in the glass and poured the liquid in.

He took a moment to stare at his reflection in the window. His eyes flickered to his coiffed auburn hair and he scowled. He'd always hated his hair, he was the only one in his family with red hair. The rest of his family had dark brown hair. Growing up, it had brought his older brothers a sense of joy to torment him about his thick red locks. It set him apart, made him different and isolated him from his siblings.

It had been his loneliness and a degree of anger that had helped him form an unlikely bond with his estranged Uncle Edward. The older man had been largely ignored by his family following claims that he was responsible for losing a large percentage of the family's wealth in gambling debts. Edward had reached out to Hans at the start of the latest school year after discovering that Hans was a student at his alma mater, Arendelle University.

At first their conversations had focused solely on education and family gossip. Edward had seemed quite unimpressed with Hans' older brothers, claiming them to be nothing more than sheep who followed the safe route imposed by their family and studied respectable subjects, dated the right sorts of women and lived responsible lives. Hans, he had decided, was different, a 'better' man. Hans, he had said, was someone who viewed their family with the same malcontent as he did.

It was his faith in Hans that had seen him seek the younger man out to help him carry out an important task, one that he had been working on for a long time.

* * *

Edward Black watched as his youngest nephew eagerly placed the glass of whisky down beside him. He had been right to choose the boy for his plans. The youngest of his sister's sons had an arrogance and a sense of entitlement about him that made him incredibly biddable. He had thrown a few compliments in the boy's direction, joined him in mocking his simpleton older brothers and the boy had become his willing lapdog.

He had never held much interest in his family. They had, after all, virtually cut him off after a few wrongly placed bets in his early twenties and had left him to work a simplistic bank teller job like a commoner. He had always been the outcast in his family, the 'black' sheep of the Black family. He had never forgotten the day when his father had cut him from the family wealth after declaring him to be too unpredictable with finances to be trusted with his hard-earned wealth. He had been 27 at the time and it had been the last straw for him.

His father had a history of making his disdain known. All through Edward's high school and university days he had been forced to listen to the cruel jibes of his father, who had seen fit to compare his son to his peers. In particular Nicholas North and Walter Blanchard, the sons of men who worked on the production line at a factory owned by Edward Black Sr.

"I don't understand, Edward. You come from a good, wealthy family and yet you have no drive, no passion. You really think that being the star pitcher for a suburban baseball team is enough to bring you glory?" the older man had asked. "These two boys, Nicholas and Walter, they come from nothing. Their families are migrants who work for pittance in my factory and yet those boys have drive and determination to succeed."

His passion had always been baseball. He had been known as 'Pitch' on the field for his talent as a pitcher. The speed and accuracy at which he had been able to deliver a ball had been known to bring fear to the opposing team. Many had thought him capable of playing for the major leagues, but it wasn't to be. His father had been quick to shoot him down. He had claimed that sports brought short term glory, but a good career with wealth and high social standing could last forever.

As Edward Jr. had continued to grow, so had his father's scrutiny. He had claimed it hurt him to see the two migrant boys do so well while his only son floundered. Not only had the two boys been inseparable, but they had also managed to combine good grades, success on the sporting field, healthy relationships with their peers as well as juggling part time work in a small supermarket. In short, they had been the ultimate 'all-rounders' and it had been evident to Edward Jr. that his father had felt them to be more worthy of pride then his own son.

The scorn had only got worse once the three men had graduated university. Walt and Nicholas had used the money they had saved while working to put towards opening their first business. Together with their friend, David, they had bought a small ice cream parlour in a suburban mall. The business had seemingly flourished. Customers had been captivated by the friendly service provided by the jovial Nick and the quiet, but caring Walt. Edward Sr. had been so impressed and had wasted no time telling his friends that the bright new men of the Arendelle business scene were the sons of his employees.

While Nicholas and Walt's post- uni life had continued to soar, Edward Jr's had sunk to a new low. He had found it difficult to find work outside of school. His talents on the baseball field had failed to earn him a spot in the big leagues, especially when there had been those willing to accept positions for far less pay than he had demanded. In order to make money, he had turned to gambling. Initially, he had enjoyed success. The money he had earned enabled him to purchase a flash car. However, his luck had soon run out, which had left him in debt. In order to keep the loan sharks off his back, he had been forced to squander the family's wealth.

Edward Sr. had been furious. When he had found out, he had cut off his son's bank account and had forced him to move from the family home. His last act of 'kindness' had been to set his son up with a job working as a bank teller in a small outer suburb mall.

To make matters worse, the bank had been located in the same mall where Walt Blanchard, Nicholas North and their friend, David, had opened their business. The simple minded colleagues that Edward had been forced to work with had all raved about the ice cream store. They would come back from their lunch breaks with treats they had purchased and would share stories and jokes that they had shared with the three young businessmen.

However, luck had been on his side. Nicholas North had been left responsible for handling the payment of bills at Edward's own workplace. Nick had come in on a weekly basis, beaming with the arrogance that one only found in the newly rich and successful.

"Ah, Pitch," he'd exclaimed, stepping towards the teller. "Why don't we see you visiting us in the store? It is doing so well. We would love to see you."

Edward had groaned. The use of his old nickname had only served to remind him of his failed dreams. Sadly, his colleagues had overheard and had started to use the name.

He didn't know what had made him do it. Some would have called it jealousy, others would have called it the desperate actions of a gambling addict. All Edward had known was that the minimum wage he had been earning was not enough to keep the debts from piling up. He had already sold his luxury car and had been left to rent a small apartment. His world had begun to fall apart while the lives of Walter Blanchard and Nicholas North had continued to flourish both privately and in business.

It had all been too easy. Nicholas had come in with the money for rent and bills in a plain envelope. Once in the bank, he had handed the money to Edward who had counted it, typed in the amount and lodged it. He had then distracted the unassuming man with questions about his life while he slid $10 from the pile of bills into his pocket, skillfully managing to avoid detection from the security cameras. He had then smiled when he had provided a receipt to Nicholas and had made a feeble promise to visit the store.

In time, the stolen money had added up and he had managed a few more wins down at the casino which had allowed him to pay off the last of his debts. Slowly, he had managed to pull himself out of financial despair. At the same time, he had heard that his former classmates business had started to fall apart. Debt collectors had hit them in order to recover the unpaid rent and bill money. The profits they had made were no longer able to sustain the running of the store as well as make up for the missing money.

Tensions had flared among the trio. Walt had been sure that the fault lay with Nicholas, who had recently purchased his first home with money he had saved. Nicholas had been adamant that he had paid in full with nothing untoward happening. The receipts he had from the bank had all supported his claims, yet the money had never reached the payees. As a result, the business had gone bankrupt and the boys friendship had deteriorated. Walt and Nick had gone from best friends to sworn enemies and David had fled the state in search of a new life.

Edward still remembered the day the two men had unwillingly confided in him, both full of remorse and angst. Walt had been filled with a new-found mistrust and anger that his best friend had betrayed him. Nicholas, on the other hand, had been hurt and confused. He had known himself to be innocent, but the paperwork had stacked up against him and it had been only himself and his wife, Clara, who had believed him.

* * *

"Uncle," Hans called, looking with concern at the older man who sat with a faraway look on his face. "Is everything okay?"

Blinking, his uncle turned to face him. "Couldn't be better, my dear nephew. I was just reminiscing over the good ol' days," he smirked.

Hans nodded. Nervously, he took a swig of his drink. He had been working with his uncle for a year now, yet he still felt the tiniest bit of unease around the older man. However, he had learned to ignore it. After all, it was nice to associate with another family member who saw through the 'perfect' facade of his obnoxious brothers.

"So, you say you have good news, Hans. I can only hope that it has to do with the Blanchard daughters," his uncle stated in a monotonous tone. "Any luck in messing with the eldest one? Especially after you failed so dramatically with the younger girl."

"I do have some news," he smirked."You are aware that Anna, the youngest, ignored my obvious charms and has since begun dating some lower class loser-"

"I am more than aware that you failed in your attempt to woo a naive, sheltered 18-year-old girl, yes," snapped Edward, chortling to himself.

He shot a glare at his uncle. The memory of Anna's refusal of him, coupled with the speed at which she moved on with the loner, Kristoff, was still fresh in his mind. Fortunately, his associates had all believed him when he had lied about bedding the girl, but the fact that she had moved on so fast with someone so far beneath his status had still been a blow to his ego. Shuddering, he pushed the thought from his mind.

"Yes, well it is not Anna who is the fascinating one here, Uncle," he began. " I have reason to believe that the oldest girl, Elsa, the one who is on the fast track to becoming CEO of Kingdom Ice Creamery, is involved in a secret relationship with non other than Jack Frost."

Leaning back, he watched as his uncle took in the news. His dark eyes continued to stare blankly at him. " Just why do you think I care for some young girl's relationship?" he sneered, swallowing the last of his whisky.

"Because, my dear uncle," he replied, pausing briefly for dramatic effect. "Jack Frost, is the nephew who has been raised by his uncle, Nicholas North."

His uncle sat up, his lips curled into a sly smile. "Well now, that is interesting," he drawled, stroking at his chin. "I bet that Daddy would not be too pleased to know that his precious little princess is sleeping with the enemy."

He shook his head. "Not at all. You remember how I told you Jack was the one who beat me up after Anna refused to sleep with me?" he began. "It was because of my 'threat' to poor little Elsa. He didn't like the way I spoke to her. Rumour has it that he held a long-term crush on her and she has finally decided to return his affections."

His uncle nodded, slowly extending a hand to stroke at his dog, Nox. "Boy, you may just prove useful after all," he smirked. "I think we have found the missing puzzle piece that we need to finally bring down Walt Blanchard and Nicholas North, once and for all."

* * *

**A/N- Aha...so there you have it. I've held onto this little plot bunny for a few weeks. I know a few of you were convinced David had something to do with the business downfall. Sorry to say- nope, he was an innocent party.**

**As always, thanks for the kind reviews, and support. Slowly this story will wind down, although I already have a second chaptered Jelsa story to tell so shall slowly begin to plan that out and get that started in the coming weeks**

**Keep calm and ship Jelsa.  
**


	21. Chapter 21

Looking in the mirror, Hans could hardly believe the difference in his appearance. Gone was the reflection of a well-dressed man from a wealthy family with a head full of thick auburn hair. His normal designer clothes had been tossed aside and replaced with cheap clothes that had been purchased from a discount designer store. On his head sat a tacky baseball cap that held down a cheap brown wig. He looked like a dishevelled mess and could only hope that he was successful in his task. Otherwise, he would have wasted his day looking like a disgusting commoner for nothing.

Three weeks had passed since he had told his uncle about the relationship between Elsa Blanchard and Jack Frost. His uncle had reacted with malevolence and had claimed that it was their forbidden romance which would help him to finally bring down Walter Blanchard and Nicholas North, once and for all, hitting both men where it would hurt the most.

He had eagerly agreed to the task. After all, both Anna and Elsa Blanchard had dared humiliate him in only a matter of months. Not to mention the physical altercation he'd had with Jack. Word had got out that the smaller-framed Jack Frost had managed to overpower him and had walked away the victor in their scuffle. It had been extra embarrassing when he recalled that he had gone to the trouble to ensure that he'd had a head start in the fight. No, those girls and their little guardian had to pay.

Over the last few weeks he had taken to following Jack and Elsa around their university. He had kept a close eye on anything that could prove useful to his cause. Thanks to the help of his contacts, he had been in touch with a small-time hacker. After he had flashed a bit of cash, the hacker had willingly tapped into Arendelle University's database and had printed out Jack and Elsa's class timetables. From there, he had managed to work out the couple's patterns. To his relief, the duo seemed to keep to a small part of the campus, containing themselves to either their classrooms, the library or the cafeteria where they would sit with a small group of three other students. He had noticed that Elsa's gullible younger sister seemed aware of her elder sister's forbidden relationship. He had seen the naive teen sitting with Elsa and Jack on more than one occasion. Still he needed something bigger than reports that the two students sat together. Aside from a few quick kisses, shared glances and the occasional hand-holding, he had yet to catch them engaging in anything that pleased his uncle's demands.

Fortunately, luck had been on his side. He had discovered an acquaintance from his time on the university lacrosse team shared a few classes with the couple. The young man had been only too happy to help him spy on the couple for a small fee. He had willingly provided any information that he thought could be useful. Hans had been going over the couple's timetable when the man had messaged him to inform him that he had overheard the couple planning a lunch date. Apparently Jack had been caught telling Elsa that he would whisk her away from work on her lunch break to enjoy a picnic lunch. He had happily paid the young man his fee and had sent him on his way. If he knew Frost, he would be unable to his hands off his girl and in doing so, it would seal their fate.

With news of their lunch date, he had gone out to plan his outfit. He had already taken the initiative to call the store where Elsa worked earlier in the morning. He had put on his best act and had claimed to be a friend of Elsa's who hoped to contact her during her break. The woman who had answered had been only too happy to provide Elsa's 'friend' with the time of her rostered break and had even praised him for showing respect for her work and not asking to interrupt her.

Shaking his head, he leaned back from the mirror and smirked. He turned his attention to the expensive camera bag and checked that he had packed the correct lenses to suit the camera. With one last glance in the mirror, he exited the room. He couldn't help feeling grateful that his family had already left for the day and couldn't see him dressed as he was. His outfit had been planned around him looking like a stereotypical poor student who just happened to be visiting the city with an expensive camera. If quizzed, he planned to shrug it off and say that he was an aspiring photographer who lived on 2-minute-noodles in order to afford his hobby.

Whistling a happy tune, he locked the door to his home and made his way towards his car. He would be successful. Today was going to be a good day.

* * *

Jack frowned. His hands sorted through the piles of blankets while he tried to find the picnic blanket. His cousin had said it was kept in the mess that they called a junk room, but so far he had come up empty-handed. Groaning, his eyes fell on his faded old Transformers bed sheets. He glanced at his watch and grabbed the sheets. He was running out of time. If he wanted to enjoy a pre-packed lunch with Elsa on her lunch break then his daggy old sheets would have to do. Sighing, he folded the sheets and slipped them inside his backpack along with the lunch box with food and cans of drink and ran. He didn't have time to lose, he needed his private time with Elsa.

Six weeks had passed since Anna had found out about his and Elsa's relationship and had pledged her support. The younger girl had been keen to rebuild her relationship with her sister and to get to know not only him, but their friends as well. As a result, Anna and her partner, Kristoff, had been spending time with them when they had caught up outside of university. While both him and Elsa were grateful for Anna's support, they were also keen to spend some time alone. Especially after their five-month anniversary date had been cut short when Elsa had been called in to work in the head office.

It had been Elsa's idea to catch up during her lunch break. She had told him that she was going to be stuck working in the flagship store and would have an hour long lunch break. She had then suggested that the warm June weather would make for a perfect opportunity to grab a bite to eat and wander down to the nearby riverbank. Eagerly, he had agreed and had leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek before he'd vowed to take care of it.

A quick trip to the supermarket earlier in the morning had allowed him to purchase some bread, sandwich fillings, two banana's and two cans of drink. He had been just about to leave the store when he had noticed the pack of four chocolate-mint flavoured cupcakes and had added them to his basket. He knew that the extra treat would be appreciated by his chocolate loving girlfriend.

* * *

Stepping out of the car, Jack carefully slung his backpack onto his shoulders and headed for a bench located across the road from the Kingdom store. Traffic heading into the city had been relaxed, allowing him to arrive earlier than expected. Taking a seat on the bench, he pulled out his phone and sent a text to Elsa, letting her know where he was. Looking up, he could make out the image of Elsa as she scurried around the store, delivering orders to the customers. He watched as she wiped her hand on her work apron before reaching into her pocket and sneaking a glance at her phone.

Within minutes she emerged from the store, her apron removed and her handbag tucked under her arm. He let out a loud whistle and watched as her smile widened while she carefully crossed the road. Nodding his head, he started walking. He glanced back as they got further away from the store before reaching his hand out to take her hand in his.

A short five minute walk and they had reached the banks of the river. Digging in his bag, he pulled out the sheet and spread it under a shady tree.

"Nice sheets," Elsa teased, a wide smile on her face as she indicated towards the bedding.

"I know right. Hard to believe, but yes, I have always had good taste," he boasted, winking at her as he sat down. Once down on the ground, he pulled her down to join him. "In my defence, I couldn't find the actual picnic blanket, so my old bed sheets will have to do. That said, if I could find Transformers sheets to fit my current bed then I would have them."

"I didn't know you were planning on sleeping alone for the rest of your life," Elsa quipped, nudging him as she inched herself closer.

"That hurts, princess. I went to all this trouble to pack a lunch for us. I got a sheet just so that you don't get grass stains on your work pants and yet all you can do is focus on the sheets that I had when I was eight," he sniffed, placing a hand over his heart in mock hurt.

Elsa giggled. Tilting her head, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Oh hush. You know that I'm just teasing you," she sassed. "Do you feel better now?"

Grinning, he looked at her. "Almost, but I think you could make me feel even better," he teased, pointing to his lips.

He watched as she let out a small sigh before leaning in to press a soft kiss to his lips. "Now can we eat?" she asked, eyeing the backpack with interest.

He nodded. Pulling the lunchbox out, he handed her a sandwich before grabbing his own. He stretched out his legs and smiled as she shuffled to sit between them, leaning back so that she was resting against his chest. They ate in silence for a while. He couldn't help smiling as he watched Elsa bite into the choc-mint cupcake and let out a small moan. He could never tire of the cute faces or noises she would make while enjoying chocolate.

"I'm coming to your house tonight," he stated, trailing his hands up and down her arm while she swallowed the last of her food.

Turning her head, she looked at him. "How exactly do you plan on doing that?" she asked. "My parents are home."

Shrugging, he looked down at her. "Simple. You text me when your parents have gone to bed. I'll come over and you can sneak me upstairs. All you need to do is tell me what time your parents normally get up. I'll set my alarm for an hour before they normally wake and sneak out."

"Jack, my parents normally go to sleep at eleven pm and Dad gets up at six am. In order to get past them, you would have to come around just after even and get up at five am," she pointed out. "You're crazy! Not that I don't want to be with it, it's just that's crazy."

"Doesn't matter. I still want to do it," he pouted, poking his tongue out at her.

Elsa groaned. Turning around, she pressed a kiss to his lips. "Fine. Just don't expect an intelligent conversation from me at 5am."

Smirking, he reached out to pump his fist triumphantly. He watched as Elsa cocked her head, watching him and smiled. Reaching out, he shifted her so that she was sitting on his lap with her legs either side of his. He placed one hand on her lower back and the other cupped the back of her head before pulling her down for a kiss.

* * *

Hans shuddered at the gross display of affection that was going on in front of him. Sliding his camera into his bag, he reminded himself that he'd been successful and it was all for the greater good.

He had arrived at Kingdom Ice Creamery fifteen minutes before Elsa's scheduled lunch break and had taken a seat at an outdoor table of a neighbouring cafe while he waited for the lovers to appear.

Luckily, he had not had to wait long. Jack had appeared not long after he had and had walked past the store before crossing the road where he had taken a seat on a bench. Five minutes later and Elsa had emerged. He had slid his cheap sunglasses down so that he could spy without it being too obvious. Slowly, he had got up, taking care to walk a few steps behind the couple. He had pulled his phone out of his pocket and used it to snap a few photo's of the couple while they had stood hand in hand at an intersection. He had kept his eyes focused on the couple and had silently willed them to choose a place to rest soon so that he could get his pictures before he drew too much attention to himself and his expensive camera

To his relief, the couple had chosen to set themselves down on the banks of the river. The area was a trendy and pretty spot that was popular with aspiring photographers and tourists alike which had made it easier for him to blend in. Aimlessly, he had wandered the banks while he'd pretended to snap away at the fountains and statues that lined the footpath. He'd stayed within viewing distance of Jack and Elsa, keeping an eye out for anything that would provide useful.

Fortunately, the couple had behaved exactly like he had hoped they would. After sitting on a blanket, Jack had pulled Elsa to rest between his legs while they had eaten lunch. Hans had been able to snap a series of photo's of the couple while they ate. They had not failed to remain in some form of physical contact with each other. However, he had needed something bigger and better. A few snaps of them eating and holding hands was good, but not enough.

Luck had been on his side. After they had finished their lunch, Jack had reached out to pull Elsa to sit on his lap and had run his hand up and down her back while he had kissed her. It had taken every ounce of Hans' self control for him to not vomit as he'd watched the couple. They had seemed not to care about their rather public display of affection and had continued to make out with each other.

* * *

Slowly, Elsa peeked in the door of her parent's room and let out a sigh of relief upon realising that they were both fast asleep. She softly pulled the door closed behind her, saying a silent prayer of thanks that her parents had chosen to go to bed early for once.

Creeping down the stairs, she grabbed her phone from her pocket and sent a text to let Jack know that it was safe for him to come over. A few seconds later, he responded to tell her that he would be there within five minutes. Wrapping her dressing gown around her, she moved to unlock the front door and flick the porch light on.

"I so can't believe that you of all people is doing this," Anna teased, bringing her knees to her chest as she sat at the foot of the stairs. "Daddy's perfect girl is sneaking in her secret boyfriend to spend the night."

She turned to glare at her sister. "Shh, not so loud," she chided, her eyes glancing upstairs towards her parents room.

Anna laughed. "Relax, El. You know what Mum and Dad are like. They can sleep through just about anything," she smiled. "Besides, you know that I've got your back. If I hear them waking I'll go in and distract them."

She nodded. Her eyes focused on Jack who was walking up the driveway. Looking up, he caught her eye and nodded at her. Grinning, she ran out the door to meet him.

"Hey," Jack whispered, pulling her into a hug. "Parents asleep?"

She nodded. Bringing a finger to her lips, she pulled him into the house. She could feel her heart pounding as she led Jack inside and towards her bedroom, stopping long enough for him to wave at Anna, who gave him a salute before going to lock the front door.

Shutting her bedroom door, she let out a loud exhale. Silently she gripped Jack's face and planted a kiss on his lips. She could feel her heartbeat steadying as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

A soft tap at her door caused her to jump. Breaking apart, she pushed Jack out of sight before making her way to the door.

"Anna, you scared me half to death," she hissed, pulling the younger girl into her room while Jack moved to take a seat on her bed.

"That's what happens when you sneak boys into your room," Anna teased, pointing a finger at Elsa and Jack. "I just wanted to remind you that I have the room in between yours and Mum and Dad's, so if you are going to do anything, could you please keep it down? I don't need to hear it."

"Anna!" she squeaked, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. "Just because Jack's here doesn't that we're going to do any- "

"I'll make sure that she keeps the noise down," Jack broke in, winking at Anna as he pulled a blushing Elsa towards him. "I can't offer any guarantee though, she is insatiable."

She watched as Anna reached around to steal a high-five from Jack and groaned. "You know, when I wanted you to know about us, it wasn't so that the two of you could gang up on me," she mumbled, glaring at Anna.

Anna turned to look at her as she slowly made her way to the door. "Don't worry, Elsa. I'm going to bed now. Besides, I'm sure that you will want to punish Jack in your own special way," she teased, poking her tongue out before exiting the room.

Groaning, she turned to face Jack who had shifted to lie against the headboard of her bed with his arms folded behind his head and a wide grin on his face.

"You can wipe that grin off your face, Jack. You're still in trouble," she smirked, turning off the bedside light before climbing under the covers.

Jack chuckled softly and lay down. Grinning, she shuffled closer to him as he pulled the covers over them. She felt his arms wrap around her waist as he held her tight. Leaning in, he placed a soft kiss to her lips. "I love you. Do you know that?" he whispered.

Sighing, she moved her hands to brush through his hair. "I know. I love you too," she murmured.

* * *

Drumming his fingers on the desk, Hans waited. He had just emailed through the photo's taken earlier that day of Elsa Blanchard and Jack Frost and was awaiting his uncle's reply.

A few seconds his phone rang. Looking down, he grinned as his uncle's name flashed on the screen. Picking up the phone, he hit the button to answer the call.

"What's the verdict?" he asked, lazily scrolling through the photo's of the happy couple.

"_You did well boy. I knew you were the right person for the job," _his uncle spoke. "_Clearly you got your cunning nature and intellect from me."_

"It was quite testing, at times I felt like throwing up. You have no idea how sickening it was to watch those two," Hans replied, crinkling his nose.

"_Your efforts will be rewarded boy. After all, now is the time we put our plan into motion," _ his uncle vowed.

Hans chortled as he went over the plan his uncle had shared. Admittedly the plan was simple, certainly by his own standards. However, his uncle had assured him that the simplicity of it is was why it would succeed. They would be successful and would take down both Walt Blanchard and his 'precious' daughters as well as Nicholas North and his interfering nephew, Jack Frost.


	22. Chapter 22

Jack groaned. Reaching over, he grabbed the phone and silenced the alarm. Beside him he felt Elsa stir as she opened her eyes and stifled a yawn. Leaning over, he watched as her eyes widened upon catching sight of their clothes that had been discarded on the floor.

"I can't believe that I agreed to this again," she murmured, pulling the bed sheet over to cover her naked body. "You are a bad influence on me."

Smirking, he leaned down to steal a kiss. "Hey, don't blame me. It was your sister who suggested I sneak in last night. I just agreed to it. Besides, I don't recall you complaining," he teased.

He chuckled quietly as Elsa flopped against the mattress and let out a loud exhale. "Just get dressed already," she urged. "If we are going to run the risk of my parents catching us, I'd rather that we are both dressed at the very least."

Grinning, he rolled over and climbed out of bed. Bending down, he picked up her nightgown and tossed it to her before slipping on his own clothes. It was true, it had been Anna's suggestion for him to sneak in to spend the night again. They had gone out to a movie the night before with Anna, Kristoff, Lana, Fred and Jamie. Anna had claimed that because it was the weekend, her parents would not be waking until at least 7am, therefore, Jack could enjoy the luxury of sleeping in until 6am.

He had willingly agreed. Despite the ungodly hour that he had to wake up at, in order to avoid getting caught, he couldn't deny that he enjoyed the feeling of falling asleep with Elsa in his arms. Fortunately, it had not taken much to convince Elsa to agree to it. Especially with Anna vowing to once again do her part to keep them from being caught.

Slipping his wallet, keys and phone in his pocket, he watched as Elsa peeked her head out the door. Slowly she made her way across to her parents room and pressed an ear to the door. Turning her head, she gave him the sign that they had agreed on and let him know that it was safe to leave the room. Stealthily, he creeped down the stairs and unlocked the door before stepping outside. He paused at the door and waited for her to follow him out.

He stopped to press one last kiss to her lips before jogging to his car and climbing in. Buckling up, he watched as Elsa strolled down the path to pick up the Sunday paper from the lawn before looking around. He grinned, he knew that she was still worried that they would be caught and was doing her best to appear casual. Starting the motor, he pulled away from the Blanchard house. His eyes glanced in the rear view mirror as Elsa slowly disappeared from his sight.

* * *

Elsa smiled. Her eyes fell on Rapunzel who gave her one last wave before sliding into the passenger seat of Flynn's car. Her cousin had just filled in for the night shift at Kingdom's and had been kind enough to wait while Elsa locked the store up.

Stifling a yawn, she made her way towards her car. Around her, groups of people ambled along the footpath while they enjoyed the warm summer breeze. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her phone and checked for messages. She had briefly contemplated calling Jack and having him meet with her somewhere, but had decided against it. The weekend and her day at university had left her exhausted.

"Good evening, Elsa. Your boyfriend not with you tonight?" a smooth voice drawled.

Looking up, Elsa froze as she caught sight of Hans leaning lazily against her car holding an A4 envelope in his hand. Her eyes widened as he stepped towards her. "B...boyfriend, I d...don't know what you're talking about," she stammered, reaching in her handbag for the pepper spray that Jack had bought for her.

Hans laughed, his hand reaching into the envelope. "Didn't your parents teach you about lying? I'm talking about your relationship with Jack Frost. A relationship that I'm willing to bet good ol' Mum and Dad don't know about," he sneered, stepping closer. "Although, it is romantic. Why, you're like the Romeo and Juliet of the business world. It's even more romantic when you consider that Jack spent years crushing on you, only for you to ignore him...well, until now that is."

She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. Tightening her grip on the pepper spray, she pulled it out. "I'm warning you now, Hans. I'm not afraid to use this on you," she threatened, holding the spray in front of her.

"Oh, that is cute. I'm guessing that your little boyfriend bought that for you. He wasn't too pleased with our previous 'chat' and seemed quite determined to protect you. Of course, that was before the two of you had even started dating," Hans snickered.

She glared at him. Keeping her head high, she attempted to step around him. "How I came to own this spray is none of your concern," she stated.

She watched as Hans stepped closer to her, blocking her movement. "You are correct. The spray and how it came to be in your possession, is not my concern," he declared, pausing to smirk at her. "However, I do have something in this envelop which concerns not only you, but Mr Frost as well."

She gulped. She could feel her palms getting sweaty as she nervously wrung her hands. She was doing her best to appear calm and unphased on the outside, even if the fear was eating her up internally. She watched as Hans slowly reached into the envelope to pull out some sheets of paper before holding up a flashlight to allow her a better view.

"See this, Elsa?" Hans asked, shining the light on the printed photo's. "Don't the two of you make an adorable couple? Sitting there just a few short metres from where we are currently standing and enjoying a romantic picnic together. You don't even seem to care who could see the two of you making out."

She gasped as her eyes fell upon the pictures from the picnic her and Jack had shared the previous Tuesday. Somehow, Hans had managed to snap a series of photographs of her and Jack. There were photo's showing them as they lazed against each other to eat, or held hands. He had even managed to get a photo of her sitting on Jack's lap with his arms wrapped tightly around her while they kissed.

"Y...y...you spied on us?" she cried, her hand moving to cover her mouth. "Why?"

Hans nodded and slid the photo's back into the envelope. "Well, to be honest neither you or Jack were shy about displaying your...err...affections. However, yes, to answer your question I may have made a special trip in just for the two of you. I have my answers as to why," he remarked. "Don't worry, Elsa. I'm not an unreasonable man. In fact, I am more than willing to strike a deal with you. If you do something for me than I can make sure that these photo's never see the light of day."

Blinking, she stared at him. Her gut instinct had told her months ago that there was something untrustworthy about Hans. In the months that had followed, his actions had only sought to strengthen her distrust of him. "What makes you think that I would agree to any kind of deal with you?" she asked, glaring at him.

"Because, Elsa," he replied. "I'm going to give you a choice. Your sister's happiness, or your own."

"Anna?!" Elsa gasped, crossing her arms in front of her. "Leave my sister out of this."

Hans chortled. Crossing his arms, he looked down at her with disdain. "That's where you have a choice, Elsa," he began. "You see, I am a proud man. I come from a good, wealthy family with good social standing. I have everything that you could ask for, basically. I have never had much difficulty with the ladies until your sister came along - "

"You didn't deserve my sister," Elsa hissed. "She's far too good for you."

"Settle down, Elsa. I've not finished," Hans sneered, waving his hand. "As I was saying, life was good for me. Well, at least it was until your sister came along and embarrassed me. Poor, sweet, naive, Anna. You would have thought that a girl so desperate for love would have been easy to get into bed, but no. She not only refused me, but word somehow got out that she turned me down -"

"Yet you still attempted to humiliate her and spread lies about her on your pathetic little Facebook page," she broke in, clenching her jaw as she continued to glare at him.

"Let me finish!" Hans ordered, slapping his hand across her cheek. "God, you Blanchard girls are so rude. As I was saying, word somehow got out that your sister and I didn't sleep together and that made me look like a liar. To make matters worse, she then went and got together with that weirdo, Kristoff. I need you, Elsa, to convince your sister to break up with that freak and come back to me. Once her and I are back together, we will go out for a few dates before I dump her and undo the damage that she did to my social status."

She gripped her cheek, her face flushed with anger. "You mean to tell me that you want me to convince my sister to break up with a kind, caring guy who treats her well and who she dotes on, so that you can come crawling back to humiliate her. You're doing this just so you can attempt to fix your bruised ego?" she scoffed.

Hans nodded. A sly smile crossed his face. "Matter of fact, yes," he replied. "You convince Anna to break it off with Kristoff and come back to me and I will make sure that these photo's and your relationship remains a secret. If you don't then I will see to it that Daddy gets a copy of these lovely pictures. The choice lies with you, Elsa. It is either your happiness, or Anna's."

"You're vile," she snarled, clenching her fist.

Hans scoffed. "No, I'm cunning. You have until Friday to make your decision, Elsa. Will I be deleting these photo's from your computer, never to be seen again, or will I be sending an email to your dear old dad?" he sneered. "Oh and by the way, you can keep the print outs. I've got the originals on my laptop."

She watched as he turned on his heels and walked away. Digging in her handbag, she found her keys and let herself into her car. She could feel herself trembling as she pulled the phone out and dialled Jack. He answered on the third ring, his husky voice was full of concern as he arranged to meet her at the park near their houses.

* * *

Jack pulled his car into the deserted parking lot that lay adjacent the park. He'd managed to arrive a few seconds after Elsa and had followed her to pull in to park beside her car.

Switching the motor off, he climbed out and opened the door to Elsa's car. His eyes fell on her blotchy, tear-stained eyes. "El, what's wrong?" he asked, pulling her to him.

She said nothing. Instead, she reached down to grab her handbag and led him towards a bench which lay underneath a lamp. Sitting down, he pulled her onto his lap. His eyes fell upon a red mark on her cheek.

"El, how did you get the mark?" he asked, softly stroking his thumb over her cheek.

She didn't answer. Her body shook as she burst into tears. Sighing, he tightened his grip on her before running his hand up and down her back in an attempt to soothe her.

"Hans," she cried, pulling out a few folded pieces of paper from her handbag and handing them to him.

Frowning, he took the paper and unfolded it. His eyes widening as he took in the images of him and Elsa that had been captured. "How?" he gasped.

"I don't know, Jack," she cried. "He spied on us and has threatened to send copies of these to my dad. He wants me to convince Anna to dump Kristoff and go back out with him so that he can dump her and reclaim his bruised ego."

He sighed. He already knew that Elsa would not put Anna in that position and he couldn't ask her to. Hans was a jerk and Anna was happy with Kristoff. "Elsa, maybe it's time that we tell our families," he suggested. "You know, tell them before Hans does."

He felt Elsa's body tense up as she turned to look at him. "Jack, how?" she gasped.

Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Together, we'll do it together. It's mostly your family that is likely to be trouble and even then it will help that we have Anna on our side. Honestly, I don't think my uncle will care too much. He may be pissed to start off with, but my cousin Thia knows and she will back me up for sure," he vowed. "I still want to know how you got that mark on your cheek, El."

He watched as her hand moved to stroke her cheek. Her eyes flickered to the ground before looking at him as she bit her lip. He gasped. "Elsa, please tell me that he didn't that it wasn't…"

She nodded and turned her head away. "He did," she whispered. "I cut him off and he didn't like it so he...so he -"

He could feel the anger rising inside of him. "So he slapped you?" he growled.

Elsa nodded. Letting out a strangled cry, she turned to face him with tears in her eyes before bowing her head. "I'm sorry," she whimpered.

Sighing, he pulled her towards him and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "It's not your fault, babe," he said soothingly.

"However," he continued. "Hans is going down. This is the second time that he's threatened you and now he's actually gone and laid a hand on you. He is not going to get away with this. I'll make sure of it."

"Jack, please. I don't want you to get hurt, or do anything stupid," Elsa cried gripping his hand.

He tightened his grip on her before moving to wipe her tears away. They sat in silence for a few minutes until Elsa's tears had ceased falling. He could feel the anger continuing to rise within him. He knew that Hans was a dirty-handed liar, but the thought of him actually daring to physically harm his girlfriend had left him furious. It was taking every inch of self control for him to remain calm, but he had to. Elsa was counting on him to be strong.

He felt Elsa shuffle as she pulled out of his grip and stood to his feet. Sighing, he got up and took her hand in his. They walked back to their cars. Leaning against his car, he pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms around her. He reached one hand to cup her face as he pulled her closer for a kiss.

Breaking apart, he rested his head against her forehead. "You have to go home and get some rest. You've had a busy weekend and a busy day," he murmured.

She nodded. Tilting her head, she pressed one last kiss to his lips. "I love you," she whispered before sliding into her car.

"I love you too," he echoed.

Carefully, he shut the door behind her and watched as she started her car and put it into reverse before he slid behind the wheel of his own car. Starting his car, he slowly backed out of the park and followed her out, watching as she went in the direction of her own home before he turned and headed in the opposite direction.

* * *

Elsa could feel the exhaustion taking over as she switched the motor off and exited her car. It was only when she opened the front door that she remembered she had failed to let her parents know that she would be late getting home.

Sure enough, her father was curled up in his lounge chair with his dressing gown wrapped tightly around him and waiting for her as she entered. "I thought we had a rule, Elsa." he chided, standing to his feet. "You were late and neither your mother, or I can remember getting a phone call."

Sighing, she turned to face him. "I'm sorry, Dad. I got held up by something urgent after work. It completely slipped my mind," she murmured.

Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself for the scolding that was about to come. She watched as her father let out a deep sigh before he opened his mouth.

"Alright, Elsa. Don't let it happen again and don't forget that you are working in the office tomorrow," he cautioned.

Nodding, she turned on her heels and ran up the stairs to her room before her dad had time to change his mind. The last thing she felt like, was getting into an argument with her father at 11pm on a Monday night.

Carefully, she closed the door to her room. She padded across to her chest of drawers and pulled out her nightgown. Slowly, she peeled off her clothes and placed them in the clothes hamper before slipping into her nightgown. Crawling into bed, she grabbed her phone and set her alarm for the next day. She then sent a text to Jack to wish him good night and to remind him that she would be working in the head office tomorrow.

* * *

Jack clenched his jaw as he parked his car in the university car park. Quickly, he exited the car and checked that it was locked.

The news that Hans had blackmailed and slapped Elsa had left him furious and he wasn't going to let him get away with it. Fortunately, he had a few friends from his hockey team who shared classes with Hans. A few simple text messages was all it had taken to find out the time and location of Hans' morning class.

Storming across the grounds, he made his way towards the building where Hans' class was supposedly held. He arrived just in time for the students to start filing out of the room. Clenching his jaw, he waited until his eyes fell on a familiar auburn-haired male.

"Hans," he growled, stepping forward. "We need to talk."

Hans spun on his feet, his mouth curling into a smirk as he looked him up and down. "Ah, Frost. I was wondering how long it would take for you to turn up to play the hero. I'm guessing that your little girlfriend went running to you last night, am I right?"

Jack glared at him. "You are going to pay for what you did, you asshole," he threatened. "I'll teach you to threaten and then lay a hand on Elsa."

Hans snickered before raising his hand and beckoning for Jack to follow him outside. "Okay, Frost. I'll play your little game, but I do suggest that we step outside first."

He could feel the adrenaline building as he followed Hans outside. A part of him knew that he shouldn't be so willing to fight him, but the urge to make the arrogant man pay for scaring and harming Elsa was overpowering him. He needed to protect her. He looked up, shooting daggers at Hans back as he led him towards a secluded part of the university grounds before coming to a stop.

Hans turned to face him. "You are a protective one aren't you, Jack? So willing to protect your pretty little girlfriend, even before she was your girlfriend. Do you think that you'll be so brave once her daddy finds out about your relationship? You know he's going to be pretty pissed off. He really doesn't like you, or your family. I'm pretty sure that he wouldn't want you playing with his daughter," he sneered.

"I will protect her against anyone and anything that threatens her," he vowed, glaring at Hans.

Hans laughed and waved his hand derisively. "How romantic," he snickered. "You know, I actually anticipated that you would be out for me today. After all, you somehow managed to overpower me the last time I threatened Elsa and her stupid little sister and that was before you had started dating her. I can only imagine that you're even more protective of her now. You know, since she's actually got on her back and spread her legs for you. So this time, I came prepared."

He turned and watched in horror as two large, brawny males stepped out from behind him. He heard Hans let out a loud chuckle as one of the men grabbed his arms, twisting them behind his back. Groaning, he turned his head to watch as Hans and the other man aimed punch after punch at his stomach.

He glared as Hans stepped back to admire his work before swinging a punch at his face. Numbly, he felt his head drooping as another punch was delivered to his stomach. He could feel himself growing weak with each punch. Wincing in pain, he felt as the man holding him released his hold and pushed him roughly to the ground. Blinking, he rolled over and stared up as the three men stood around him, laughing derisively before proceeding to deliver a kick to his ribs. He could feel himself losing consciousness as the continued their assault. Finally, he felt himself being pulled to his feet so that Hans could deliver one last punch before tossing him to the ground.

* * *

**A/N- Cliffhanger..sorry guys. As always thanks for your reviews and support. Special thanks to the beautiful Thenamescatcher/ Catcher Yarrow for drawing my first fanart which can be seen as my cover art for this story. Made my day to see it and I love the 'Red string of Fate' which can be seen connecting them.**

**Until the next chapter Keep Calm and Ship Jelsa. **


	23. Chapter 23

Picking up her phone, Elsa tried yet again to call Jack, but it was useless. His phone had been switched off and her texts had remained unanswered. She'd tried contacting him via Facebook and Skype, but they too had failed to provide any results. All day she had been fielding questions from their friends, all of whom were concerned that they couldn't reach him.

She had tried to ignore the sense of dread that had built up inside her. It wasn't like Jack to switch his phone off, or to take so long to respond to her. She had felt worried when he'd failed to respond to her text at lunch time, but had written it off and had told herself that he was busy. They had both been run off their feet lately while they tried to juggle their social life with their summer subjects at university and part time work in their families businesses.

"Still no word from him?" Anna asked as she casually leaned against the doorframe.

Elsa looked at her, beckoning her inside of her room. "No, it's not like him," her voice cracked as she took a seat on her bed. "No one has gotten through to him. They've tried ringing his home phone, but every time they've tried it has been engaged."

Anna moved to flop down on the bed, a wide smile crossed over her face as she looked at Elsa. "Relax, El, he's probably trying to catch up on sleep. I mean, it's not like you two got much sleep over the weekend," she teased.

Elsa groaned and shot her sister an exasperated look. "I really hope you're right," she sighed. "It's just with the Hans thing, I'm worried that he may have gone and done something stupid."

"The Hans thing?" Anna quizzed, cocking her head to the side as she looked at Elsa.

She sighed. In all her concern for Jack, she'd completely forgotten to fill Anna in on the interaction that had gone on between her and Hans the night before. A pang of guilt hit her.

After Anna had found out about her and Jack's relationship, they had made a pact to remain open and honest with each other.

Taking a deep breath, she filled Anna in on how Hans had accosted her after work and had shown her photo's that he had taken before blackmailing her. She watched as Anna flinched upon hearing how Hans wanted her to split up with Kristoff so that he could break her heart and humiliate her all over again.

"Wait, Hans slapped you?" Anna asked. "You told Jack right? How did he react?"

Elsa nodded. "I called him as soon as Hans had left. We met at the park around the corner before I came home. He was pretty angry. He kept saying that Hans was going down," she explained. "I'm sorry. I meant to tell you about the latest Hans drama earlier, but I was so tired last night and then today with work and worrying about Jack, it just slipped my mind."

She watched as Anna's face softened before she leaned over to throw her arms around her, pulling her in for a hug. "Oh, Elsa, it's okay. I completely understand," Anna murmured. "I'm just sorry that you have been put in this position because of me. For what it's worth, you know that I am always here for you and Jack, no matter what."

* * *

Jack groaned. Slowly, he opened his eyes, blinking slightly as they adjusted to the bright fluorescent light. Sitting up, he realised that he was in a hospital room. He turned his head to find his aunt and uncle sitting by his bedside. "How did I end up here?" he croaked.

"Jackson, you must be careful," boomed his uncle as he rushed to the bedside. His hands reached for the button to raise the bed and he pressed it, adjusting it so that it was in an elevated position. "You were involved in a nasty fight and left on the ground."

He blinked as memories of the fight with Hans and his goons came flooding back. The last thing he remembered was being dropped on the ground and closing his eyes. "My stuff," he coughed. "Was anything stolen?"

"You were lucky, Jack. Nothing appears to have been stolen. Another student found you passed out and called for an ambulance. We sent Thia to collect your car not long ago. She's at home with Emily," Nick explained.

"So, now that I'm awake, can I go home?" he asked, wincing slightly at the ache in his ribs.

"That would be a no," a man in doctor's scrubs said, stepping into the room. "Allow me to introduce myself, the name is Dr. Astermund. I'm afraid that you have earned yourself a night here in hospital for observation. It's standard hospital procedure when a patient comes to us having blacked out."

He groaned. His mind wandered to Elsa and he kicked himself, knowing that she must be worried that she had been unable to reach him. He reached for his phone and switched it on. His eyes glanced at the number of missed calls and text waiting for him and he cursed. "Wait, what drained the battery on my phone?" he asked, staring at the alarmingly low battery. "It was fully charged this morning."

"Ah, I can explain that. You see, Emily was with us for a while and got bored. We gave her your phone to play games on after she ran out of charge on her own phone," Nick chuckled. "I hope it's not a problem. You can use the hospital phone to ring us in the morning and we will pick you up."

Jack shook his head. He wanted to argue, to explain that he had friends and a girlfriend who would be worried for him, but the exhaustion he felt was taking over. Instead, he resigned himself to getting in contact with Elsa as soon as possible. Even if it meant ringing her during a lecture.

"Okay, Jack, we will leave you now. Your aunt will pick you up in the morning before she leaves for work," Nick said, helping his wife to her feet. "Try to rest and let this be a lesson to you, no more fighting."

He nodded. He watched as his aunt moved to adjust the bed, lowering him down to rest before tucking the hospital blanket over him. Closing his eyes, he felt himself drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Elsa glanced in the mirror as she applied a light dusting of makeup to cover the bags under her eyes. She'd had a restless night and had woken earlier than usual to try calling Jack again, but it had been pointless. His phone was still off and he had not been online.

Making her way downstairs, she found Anna already in the kitchen waiting for her to drive them to university. Glancing at her watch, she gasped as she realised how late they were running. Any other day and she would laugh at the irony of Anna being ready before she was. However, this morning her mind was far too consumed with worry for Jack.

"I have your coffee ready to go," Anna smiled, handing the travel mug to her.

"Thanks, Anna," she whispered.

* * *

The drive to university had been quiet. Elsa had found herself unable to stop worrying about Jack and had remained silent. Her sister had tried to put her mind at ease, but had given up after a while and had settled for texting Punzie.

Arriving at university, she had done a lap of the car park in the hope of spying Jack's car, but had been unable to spot it. Reluctantly, she had pulled her car into a park and had exited it.

Sighing, she tightened her grip on her bag as she made her way into class. Her eyes fell on Lana, Fred and Jamie and she noticed the way their faces seemed to lift upon seeing her. Sadly, she shook her head.

"Still no word from Jack?" Lana asked as Elsa slid into the empty seat beside her.

She shook her head. "None. I'm trying not to worry, but it's hard. He's normally here by now. Especially seeing as he doesn't have to drive Emily to school," she whispered. "I hardly got any sleep last night. I couldn't stop thinking of him."

She watched as Lana reached over to gently grip her hand and offered her a sympathetic smile. Sighing, she opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the sound of their professor entering the room and calling the class to attention.

Lifting her head, she forced herself to focus on the professor. She was just about to pull out her books when her phone vibrated in her pocket, alerting her to a new message. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her phone and held it under the desk so that her lecturer couldn't see her. She could feel her heart skip a beat when she saw the new message alert from Jack.

'_I'm home. I need to see you and explain everything. Come over, it's only my sister and I, but she won't care. Love you ~ J'_

Grinning, she tilted the phone to show the message to Lana. Picking up her bag, she glanced at Lana, who gave her a thumbs up. Standing to her feet, she slung her bag on her shoulder and made her way towards the door. She could feel the curious stares of her fellow classmates, but she didn't care.

* * *

Slowly, Jack stepped into the shower and let the warm water fall over his body. His aunt had picked him up and had dropped him home less than an hour ago. He had wasted no time putting his phone on charge and had sent a text to Elsa, letting her know that he was home and that he needed to talk to her.

His eyes glanced over his body as he cleaned himself. Injury wise, he had been lucky. He had managed to walk away from the fight with only a few dark bruises on his legs and chest, a black eye and a few grazes. It looked a lot worse than it felt. In a small act of mercy, Hans and his thuggish accomplices had delivered the majority of the blows to his abdomen and legs.

Shaking his head, he stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He padded into his room and slipped on a fresh pair of underwear and trackpants. He could hear the sound of the doorbell ringing, letting him know that Elsa had arrived. Biting his lip, he spritzed himself with cologne and headed downstairs. He cringed slightly when he heard the sound of Emily opening the front door.

"Oh, Jack, your girlfriend is here," she sang, gripping Elsa's hand and dragging her into the house.

He groaned. "I told you not to embarrass me, Em. You still owe me for draining my phone battery, he scolded, poking his tongue out at his sister. "Now shoo, scram, go do whatever it is that teenaged girls do."

Turning to face Elsa, he watched as her eyes widened upon falling on his bruised body. "Jack" she gasped. "What happened?"

Gently, he grabbed her hand and led her upstairs to his room. He beckoned for her to take a seat on his bed before shutting the door. Sighing, he moved to sit beside her on the bed. His eyes fell on the dark circles that lay under her own blue eyes, a sure sign that she'd had trouble sleeping the night before. Reaching his hand up, he pushed a strand of hair from her face.

"So?" Elsa began, facing him.

Taking a deep breath, he filled her in on the events that had unfolded. He let her know how he had gone to seek Hans out and had been set up before being left bruised on the grounds of their university. He finished with how he had woken up in hospital and discovered his phone battery drained courtesy of his younger sister.

"Jack, I told you not to do anything stupid," Elsa cried, tentatively moving to grip his hand. "You know what Hans is like. You could have been seriously injured."

He sighed. Lifting Elsa's hand to his mouth, he pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles. "I know. I'm sorry, El," he murmured. "I know that I shouldn't have gone after him. I knew at the time that I shouldn't, but I couldn't stop myself. I just got so mad that he hurt you and I wasn't there to protect you."

He watched as Elsa fell back to lie on his bed and noted the tears that had formed in the corner of her eyes. Leaning over, he softly wiped her tears away before falling back to lie beside her.

"You scared me," she whispered, shifting onto her side as she turned to face him. "I was so scared when I couldn't reach you."

He gulped. Rolling over, he propped himself on his side, ignoring the slight pain and leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead. "I know, El. You were on my mind the whole time. I'm so sorry," he murmured.

* * *

Elsa felt the relief wash over her.

There was a part of her that had wanted to yell at Jack and to scold him for being stupid enough to go seek Hans out. She had thought that Jack had realised that Hans wasn't against playing dirty. This time he had really upped the ante. What had made it worse was knowing that aside from organising for Jack to be at an unfair disadvantage, Hans had also seen to it that their fight had taken place in an isolated part of their uni grounds with less chance of people being able to step in and help Jack. However, all thoughts of scolding him had gone out the window when she had seen his face.

She had struggled to hold back the shock when she had seen him coming down the stairs with only a pair of trackpants on. To see his body covered in nasty looking bruises with grazes and a black eye had left her on the verge of tears. She had wanted to reach out and pull him close to her, to comfort him, but had held back out of fear of pressing on his injuries.

Rolling over, she propped herself on her side and hovered her hand over him.

"It's okay, El. You can still touch me," Jack pointed out, smiling weakly at her. "It's mostly bruising. It won't hurt."

Without warning, Jack moved his hand out to grip her. Pulling her down, he guided her to rest against his chest. Sighing, she moved her hand to trace soft patterns over his chest. They lay in silence for a few minutes as she watched his chest rise and fall with his breathing.

A loud growl erupted from her stomach, reminding her that in her haste, she had failed to eat breakfast that morning. Sitting up, she turned to watch as Jack propped himself up on his elbows.

"I think it's time for lunch," Jack smirked.

She nodded. Climbing off the bed, she leaned down to help Jack to his feet. Slowly, they made their way downstairs to the kitchen.

"Sit," she ordered, directing him to a stool.

Rummaging in the pantry, she pulled out a loaf of bread before making her way to the fridge and pulling out some sandwich meat and cheese. She placed the ingredients on the bench and pulled open the cupboard to grab two plates out.

"You're too good to me, El," Jack pointed out. "I mean, you're making me lunch in my own home."

She smiled at him. "Okay, come on," she said, pushing the plate with his sandwich towards him. "You can carry your own plate in."

Nodding, he slid off the stool and led her into the lounge room. She watched as he reached to grab the remote, turning the TV on and flicking it to the midday movie before settling down on the couch.

* * *

Elsa waited until Jack had finished his sandwich before taking his plate and placing it on the coffee table with her own. Slowly, she shuffled back to lean against the armrest of the couch. She opened her legs and guided Jack back so that he was leaning against her chest. Gently, she set about massaging his shoulders.

"Let me know if I hurt you," she murmured.

"You won't, El," Jack whispered.

He reached his hand up to grip at her chin, tilting it down before he angled his head to press a kiss to her lips. She let out a soft moan as she melted into the kiss. Leaning forward, she gave herself better access to his lips.

"Oh gross, get a room," a bored voice said.

Blushing, she broke the kiss and shifted her head to watch as Emily entered the room, her eyebrow raised as she stared at them.

"We've got a room and you're still in trouble. So put up, or shut up," Jack teased, running his hands up and down her legs. "However, seeing as you're here, you can take our plates to the kitchen for us."

"Great idea, big bro. I think that on the way back, I'll stop by the junk room and pull out the embarrassing baby photo's of you. I'm sure that Elsa would love to see them," Emily sassed, turning to wink at Elsa.

She watched as Jack groaned before pushing himself off the couch. Leaning down, he helped her to her feet. "Fine, you win. The lounge room is yours," he muttered, reaching down to grab their empty plates.

Giggling, she followed Jack as he placed their plates in the kitchen before turning to lead her up the stairs and back to his room. She settled on his bed and watched as he closed the door behind them.

"So, I'm guessing that I don't get to see the baby Jack photo's today?" she teased, pushing a strand of hair off her face.

"Not today, princess," he joked, reaching over to switch his TV on before settling back on the bed beside her.

Pouting, she pushed herself to rest against the headboard of his bed before pulling him to rest between her legs as she continued with her massage. 

* * *

"Stay," Jack pleaded, watching as Elsa gathered her phone and keys before slipping her shoes back on. "Don't go home. Just stay with me. We'll tell my uncle and aunt. They will be cool, I promise."

He watched as Elsa hesitated. A small frown appeared on her face and he knew she was thinking about it. They had spent the last half hour discussing the fact that they needed to tell their families about their relationship. They had agreed to do it on the Thursday night and had planned it so that Elsa would text him after dinner. He would then turn up at her house so that they could let her parents know before Hans could beat them to it.

"I have to go home," Elsa cried, shaking her head. "You are in no fit state to tell our families."

"Then come back to me tonight," he begged, reaching to grip her hand. "My aunt and uncle are going to a movie and won't be home until at least 10pm. You can tell your parents that you're staying over at Lana's to work on an assignment and we will head to uni together. Please, Elsa."

He watched as Elsa pressed her lips together before turning to face him, a small smile evident on her face. "Alright," she agreed. "I'll do it. I will shower at mine, but you better believe that we are only sleeping. We are going to need to be well-rested for tomorrow evening."

Grinning, he punched the air with his fist. Swinging his legs off the bed, he stood up and pulled her into his arms. "I knew that you would say yes," he teased, pressing a kiss to her lips. "You can't resist me."

"If you are going to get cocky then I'll say no," Elsa quipped, running a hand through his hair. "Don't forget that I can still change my mind."

* * *

Nervously, Elsa picked up her phone to let Jack know that she was ready to head over to his house.

After arriving home, she had found Anna and had filled her in on the situation with Jack. She had then waited for her father to return home before she had asked permission to spend the night at Lana's. She had claimed that they had an assignment to work on together and wanted the extra time to work on it. To her relief, her mother had added a few supportive words and her father had agreed.

Dinner had been a quiet affair. She had found her mind was preoccupied with concern for Jack and her anxiety about having to confront her parents. Fortunately, Anna had been happy to distract their parents and had happily shared details of her own day. Once she had finished her dinner, she had excused herself to get ready.

She had ducked in to have a quick shower before getting out, drying herself and changing back into her clothes. Once dressed, she had pulled her overnight bag down and had tossed in her nightgown and a change of clothes for the next day.

"So, you're really going to tell Mum and Dad?" Anna asked, poking her head into Elsa's room.

She nodded and turned to beckon Anna inside. "Yep, tomorrow night," she said. "Hans gave us until Friday evening to give him his answer. We are hoping that by getting in first that they will go easy on us."

"Are you nervous?" Anna whispered, reaching over to grab Elsa's phone from the bedside table.

"Terrified," she admitted, grabbing her phone from Anna. "But we don't have much choice. We can't keep hiding our relationship. It's not fair to him, or I. Besides, he's good to me. He loves me and I love him. Mum and Dad will just have to learn to deal with it."

"Well, you already know that you both have my support and Kristoff's as well. We love you both. Kristoff reckons Jack is great and I do too. You can always count on me," Anna said, smiling at her.

Smiling, she reached over to hug Anna. "Thanks, love you," she whispered before leaving the room. 

* * *

Jack groaned as he heard the sound of the front door opening and Thia's chirpy voice greeting Elsa.

"Thia, don't you dare embarrass me," he warned, skipping down the last stair before pulling Elsa into his arms.

"Embarrass you," Thia scoffed, turning to wink at Elsa. "What, do you mean like telling Elsa how I had to iron your shirt for you prior to your three month anniversary date?"

He watched as Elsa giggled and turned her head between him and Thia. "Yep, that would count as embarrassing me," he muttered. "We're going to my room now. Thanks, Thia, see you later."

Gently, he turned to tug Elsa up the stairs. Behind him, he heard Thia call out to let Elsa know that she had plenty more embarrassing stories to share. Elsa let out a giggle and turned to face him. "Your cousin is sweet," she pointed out. "I'd like to hear her stories."

"She's talkative," he muttered, pulling Elsa into his bedroom. "She is far too friendly for her own good."

"I believe that you've met my sister," Elsa chuckled, dropping her bag on the floor. "I swear Anna was born talking. As a kid, she used to talk to everyone we met. Actually, she still does talk far too much."

Taking a seat on his bed, Jack watched as Elsa bent down to slip her shoes off. Standing up, she pulled her nightgown out of her bag. He chuckled and watched as she moved to toss her jacket over his head.

"El, it's not like I haven't seen you naked. Do you really think that I need to cover my eyes just so you can change into your nightie?" he asked, tossing the jacket to the floor. "I mean, if it wasn't for these damn bruises, I'd have been ripping that night off you later."

He laughed as Elsa let out an exasperated groan and turned to glare him. Smirking, he pulled back the covers and climbed into bed while he waited for Elsa to shuffle out of her jeans.

"Remind me again, why do I put up with you?" she muttered as she moved to join him under the covers.

Leaning over, he pulled her closer to him and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Because you love me," he murmured. "Also, I am ridiculously good looking and you can't keep your hands off me."

"Says who?" she teased, poking her tongue out at him.

"Says the woman who currently has her hand resting on my bare chest," he replied, bending down to kiss her again.

He watched as Elsa recoiled, pulling her hand back and looking at him with wide eyes. "I didn't hurt you did I?" she whispered.

Shaking his head, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "No. You could never hurt me, El," he replied, reaching over to switch the bedside light off.

Beside him, he heard Elsa let out a sigh. Reaching his arm out, he pulled her closer to him. He felt her tense up slightly and moved to press a kiss to her shoulder. He knew that she was worried about hurting him and approaching her parents the following night. Inwardly, he cursed himself for his decision to approach Hans. Especially as he had inadvertently caused more stress for Elsa.

"Jack, I'm scared," she cried, tilting her head to look at him. "What if it doesn't go well tomorrow night?"

He shuffled closer and tightened his grip on her. "Whatever happens, we will handle it together. We've come this far. I love you too much to let you go," he vowed. "Like it or not, your parents will just have to deal with it. I am not giving up on the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Slowly, she leaned in to press a kiss to his lips. Pulling back, she smiled at him before reaching her hand to stroke at his face. "I love you," she whispered.

* * *

Hans sat hunched over his laptop. The email address of Mr Walt Blanchard was typed in the address bar of his email provider along with a message containing the photo's of Elsa and Jack. He was all set to send the email which would provide a nice surprise for the couple. He knew that they were expecting him to send it on Friday evening. After all, he had told Elsa that she had until Friday to make her decision, but he liked to keep things interesting and playing fair was not his idea of fun.

It had not surprised him that Elsa had gone running to her boyfriend after he had approached her in the carpark. In fact, he had anticipated it, which was why he had booked for two of Arendelle University's strongest, yet dumbest students to help him deal with Frost. He had known that Jack would be furious that he had dared blackmail and hit his precious girlfriend and would seek him out. Just like he had known that Elsa would never have agreed to split her sister's relationship up. Not that he minded, it had brought him great pleasure to watch the annoying Jack Frost get beaten so easily.

He had received word that it had taken a few minutes for Jack to be discovered after he had fled the scene of the fight. He had yet to see Jack following the fight, but had watched as the thugs he had hired had doled out quite a lesson to Jack. They had done such a good job that Jack had been forced to spend the night in the hospital. Apparently the night without word from Jack, had left Elsa a mess and she had fled from her class earlier in the morning.

Shaking his head, he flicked his eyes to the images of the happy couple on the screen. "I hope you have enjoyed your happiness because it's about to end," he smirked, hitting send on the email

* * *

**A/N- Whew, well, what can I say, but for all of you who want to throttle Hans and Pitch please form an orderly queue.**

**Once again, thank you all for your reviews and responses. Keep Calm and Ship Jelsa. **


	24. Chapter 24

Walt Blanchard padded through the silent house, enjoying the peace and quiet that came with being awake before the rest of his family. An early riser from childhood, he did all his best work in the morning. He had always found that getting up early allowed him to properly plan for a successful day. His entire life he had relied on plans, routine and structure. Without a planned course of action, he'd not have been able to succeed in business.

He had worked hard all throughout his life. Growing up the son of a poor Norwegian immigrant, he had watched his father work long hours for mere pittance. Despite the long hours and low pay, the man had been happy. He had provided for his family. They had lived in a modest house, in a poorer suburb which had allowed him to save money. The money he'd saved had gone to putting Walt through school and a good university. His actions had helped teach his young son the value of education, hard work and sacrifice. It had been a simple lesson, but it had stuck with Walt for life.

Through the course of his life, Walt had made mistakes, but he had also learned from them. He had watched his first business fail when he had placed personal relationships over work relationships. As much as he had adored his friend, Nick, the decision to enter into business together had not been a good idea. When the business failed he had lost more than just his livelihood, he had lost his friend.

Despite his mistakes, Walt had not given up. He had worked hard to get back on his feet. He had opened Kingdom Ice Creamery and had watched it grow from a small store into the successful business that it was today. His hard work and determination had paid off and he had achieved success with the business, which had enabled him to provide his own family with a comfortable and happy life.

It had been his and Lillian's dream to raise happy, healthy, and modest children. Together they had always tried to encourage their daughters to work hard, show people respect and to never take their successes for granted. He had great pride in his daughters. They had always been a credit to him and Lillian. Despite the wealth that surrounded them, his daughters had remained down to earth. He recalled when he had offered to purchase a car for Elsa following her graduation from Corona Grammar School. At the time, her classmates had been demanding Mercedes, BMW or Lexus', but Elsa had simply asked for a modest, yet reliable Honda Civic.

Elsa had always been his mini-me. It had been evident early on that she was the more studious of the sisters. She had carried herself with poise even as a young child. As a toddler she used to love accompanying him to work where she'd sit in her little chair and furiously type on her plastic Barbie laptop. Every so often he'd lean over to ask her what she was doing only for her to scold him. "_Daddy, I have to get these orders done," _she would cry before returning to her work. With her tact, intelligence and diplomatic nature she had managed to impress everyone and had showed signs of being a great leader. It had come to no surprise when the staff he had hired started to point out that Elsa would make a great future CEO. He had agreed, she did have the skills needed and if she wanted to follow in his footsteps then he'd gladly help her achieve them.

He knew that people thought him to be too hard on Elsa. His own wife had often scolded him, saying that he needed to lighten up on her. There was a chance that he was unjustly hard on her, but he could never be sure with Elsa. All through her life, Elsa had been the quieter of his two daughters. She had always been calmer and more rational than her younger, impulsive sister and tended to keep to herself. She had always seemed to prefer to focus her attention on her studies rather than a social life, something that he had been happy to encourage. If Elsa had been unhappy then she had hid it well.

The last few months had come as a shock to him. He had noticed a major change in Elsa's demeanor. She had started spending more time away from the home, engaging with fellow students more and getting moody, which had worried him. His daughter was a kind girl with a generous heart and the thought of anyone betraying her, like Nick had done to him, terrified him. Especially because at the very core, he knew that should the business fail, Elsa would blame herself.

Grabbing his coffee, he took a seat in the large office chair and booted up his computer. The number on the small electronic clock read 6:30am, meaning that he had only thirty more minutes until his family would wake. Normally Elsa would wake first to get herself organised before waking Anna. Once Anna was awake there was no chance for peace. The youngest of his daughters was famous for her loud, happy disposition as well as her slight clumsiness. Therefore, he had only a few minutes in which to concentrate on his morning work.

Logging onto his email account, he skimmed over the emails. As usual there was the normal ones from employees requesting leave as well as order updates and invites to various business events. Amidst the messages stood one from an unknown sender, H. Westergaard. He was about to hit the delete button, sending the message to the depth of the spam folder along with various messages for discounted flights and mens health tablets, when the subject line caught his interest. '_We need to talk about Elsa.'_

Furrowing his brows, he clicked to open the email. He read through the brief text where the sender introduced himself as a fellow student who was concerned about Elsa. The message was vague and the sender said little other than they had thought that her family should be aware and had enclosed some photographs. Clicking on the photo's, he felt his jaw clenching as it popped up on the screen. His baby girl was locked in a passionate kiss with none other than Jack Frost, the no-good, trouble-making nephew of Nicholas North.

Angrily, he hit print. He could feel his heart pounding as he pulled the printed images from the printer. Taking a deep breath, he tried telling himself that it was a mistake and his daughter had clearly been accosted by the the boy. However, the fact that the other photo's depicted her seemingly happy to lean on the young man's chest while they appeared deep in conversation, troubled him. Either way, his daughter owed him an explanation

Storming up the stairs, he marched into his bedroom where his wife was pulling her dressing gown on over her pyjamas.

"Did you know about this?" he asked, handing the photographs to his wife.

He heard the loud gasp from Lillian. He watched as her hand moved to cover her mouth while she looked between him and the photo's. "T...that's Elsa," she sputtered. "That boy, that is, he is -"

"North's nephew, Jack Frost," he finished.

"S...she's at her friend's house right?" Lillian stammered, blinking at him. "Lana, she stayed the night with her friend, Lana."

Sighing, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled his eldest daughter's number. "She told us that she was staying with Lana, but right now, I'm not so sure," he grunted.

He waited a few seconds until the phone went to voicemail and hit the button to end the call. "She's not answering her phone. Get dressed, we're going to Nicholas North's house. I am going to get to the bottom of this," he said.

* * *

Nicholas North let out a loud yawn before slipping the cookie into his mouth. His eyes skimmed the room, making sure that his wife wasn't around to catch him digging into the tasty treat. If she caught him tucking into the treat, she would scold him and force him to replace the tasty cookie with a boring, healthier option.

Slowly, he wandered over to the kettle and flicked the switch on. He always needed at least one coffee before he left the house for work. He reached into the cupboard and pulled a mug out, carefully setting it on the bench. He pulled out the jar of coffee and was just about to spoon it into the mug when the doorbell rang, followed closely by the sound of loud, determined banging. Shaking his head, he put the jar down and shuffled towards the front door.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," he moaned. "Hold your horses."

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted his wife, already dressed for the day, as she made her way down the stairs. Turning to face her, he shrugged. It wasn't often that they had unexpected callers before work. Judging by the way the caller was knocking, he could assume that it was important. Hesitating slightly, he reached out to open the door.

"Walt? Lillian?!" he sputtered, his mouth dropping open at the sight of his former friend and his wife.

"Where are they?" Walt demanded angrily, not bothering to greet him. "Where is Elsa and that no-good nephew of yours?"

Scratching his chin, he stared blankly at Walt. "Jack?" he replied. "What do you want from Jack?"

Walt sighed and dug in his pocket to pull out some folded pieces of papers before handing them over. "I want to know what the hell is the meaning of this?" he stated, pointing at the papers in North's hand. "Your nephew and my daughter have a lot of explaining to do."

Sighing, he stepped back to allow Walt and Lillian Blanchard entry to his home. Slowly, he unfolded the paper. He could feel his wife's hand on her shoulder as she moved to stand beside him. His eyes widened as he focused on the printed images of Jack engaged in a kiss with Walt's eldest daughter, Elsa.

"I can assure you that your daughter is not here," he whispered, looking at Walt. "As for the photo's, I had no idea. I'm sorry."

"Nice try, North, but I know for a fact that Elsa is here. Her damn car is parked right outside your house," Walt hissed.

He nodded. He hadn't noticed any car parked outside his house when he'd arrived home late the previous evening. Although, at the time it had been late and both him and Clara had been tired. He had also been distracted while he'd fumbled with the remote to open the gates. He had not bothered to pay attention to any cars that were in the area. He also had no idea what sort of drive Walt's daughter drove. If Walt was certain that it was, in fact, his daughter's car parked out the front then he had little choice, but to trust him

"Follow me," he said, pointing Walt in the direction of Jack's bedroom.

* * *

Lazily, Jack opened his eyes.

Rolling over to his side, he found Elsa fast asleep. He smiled as he looked over her. She looked so peaceful while asleep. Her long, platinum-blonde hair was splayed out on his pillow like a halo. Her chest was rising and falling rhythmically while she slept. She looked like someone who didn't have a care in the world. Gently, he reached out a finger and lightly stroked at her face. He wanted to wake her, to steal her attention, but he didn't. She needed her rest as much as he did.

After a bit of consideration, they had agreed to take the day off from their studies. He had reasoned that it would give his body more time to heal. The extra hours would also provide them with more time to prepare themselves for confronting Elsa's parents. Luckily, their friends had agreed to provide them with a copy of any notes that they had taken in their lectures. With uni sorted, they had been able to disable the alarm in order to wake at a more respectable time.

Beside him, he felt Elsa stir. Grinning, he propped himself on his elbow and watched as she turned to face him.

"Morning," he greeted, leaning forward to steal a kiss.

"Hi," Elsa whispered, her eyes glancing over his chest and face. "How are you feeling?"

"Not as sore as yesterday," he admitted, reaching over to brush her hair from her face. "The pain seems to be more of a dull ache now. A few more days and I'll be as good as new."

He watched as she nodded and opened her mouth to say something before deciding against it and closing her mouth. He knew that she was worried about the evening ahead, but trying not to show it. He also realised that the sight of his bruised body was unsettling to her and served as a reminder of the damage that Hans had done.

Leaning over, he gently pushed her back so that she was lying on her back. His hand moved to spread her legs before he settled himself between them. He supported his weight on the his elbows so that he didn't crush her. Moving his hand, he gently cupped her chin and tilted her head up to press a kiss to her lips.

Beneath him, he felt Elsa stiffen before she broke the kiss. He watched as her eyes widened while they skimmed over her body.

"Hey, it's okay," he cooed. "Like I said earlier, you can't hurt me."

Biting her lip, she nodded before moving to wrap her arms around his neck. Leaning down, he slid one arm around her waist and pulled her close before capturing her lips in a kiss. He felt her body relaxing as she settled back on the mattress. A few seconds later and her hand was resting on the back of his head as she deepened the kiss. Smirking, he lifted her leg up as he trailed his hand up and down the length of her smooth thigh.

The sound his bedroom door being flung open, startled him. "What the hell?!" screeched a loud voice.

He froze. Beneath him he could feel Elsa stiffen. Quickly, he rolled off her. Shuffling to a sitting position, he found himself staring at Walt Blanchard's reddened face. Behind Walt, he noticed his uncle shaking his head while his aunt and Elsa's mother, Lillian, remained speechless.

"D..Dad, Mum," Elsa stammered, desperately tugging at her dishevelled nightgown. "I..we can e..explain."

"Oh there will be an explanation coming alright," Walt snapped. "Get up, now."

"Jackson," Nick groaned, shaking his head. "What in the world have you done?"

"I think it is fairly obvious what he has done," Walt snapped, turning to face North. "Clearly, he has done your dirty work and tried to corrupt my daughter. It's also obvious that he has been in yet another fight, like a thug."

"My nephew is not a thug," North ranted, glaring at Walt. "I refuse to believe that this is all his fault. Perhaps we should give Jack and your daughter a chance to explain before we jump to any conclusions."

He watched as Walt's jaw clenched while he continued to face North. Slipping out of bed, he moved to stand beside the two older men. "Listen," he said. "If you go downstairs, we will meet you and explain everything. We just need to get dressed first."

"Like hell am I leaving you alone, in your bedroom, with my daughter in her nightgown," Walt spat, his eyes glancing over Jack's shirtless torso.

Gulping, he shuffled back on his feet. Nervously, he ran a hand over the back of his head as he considered his response. Opening his mouth to speak, he was cut off by the sound of Elsa's mother speaking.

"Walt, dear, I think that it's a bit late to be concerned about Elsa being alone with Jack in his room. I mean, we did kind of catch them in here," she reasoned.

Taking a deep breath, he watched as Walt's eyes widened. Clenching his jaw, he turned to head towards the door and ushered his wife to follow him. Pausing at the door, he turned to point at Jack and Elsa. "You two had better come downstairs with a damn good explanation," he stated. "Especially, considering that I am going to have to call into work and let them know that I, the CEO, will be late."

* * *

Elsa watched as Jack hastily shut the door behind her parents and his aunt and uncle. Once the door was closed, she hopped out of bed and pulled her clothes out of her bag.

"Jack, this is bad," she began, hastily sliding on her clothes. "This is really bad. I don't even know how we are going to get out of this one."

She reached into her overnight bag and pulled out her hairbrush. Quickly, she pulled it through her hair before tying it into a low ponytail. With her hair tied, she turned to face Jack.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled a t-shirt over his chest before he turned to face her. "El, listen to me. It's obvious that someone, my bet is on Hans, spilled the secret a bit earlier than anticipated. However, this could work out to be a blessing in disguise. I mean, we were going to tell them tonight, anyway. The sooner we get this over and done with, the better," he reasoned, reaching down to grip her hand. "Besides, no matter what happens. I love you and we will get through this."

She sighed. Looking down, she caught sight of their connected hands before raising his head to meet his gaze. His blue eyes were fixed on hers. Leaning in, she placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "It's now or never," she murmured, leading him towards the door.

Together, they made their way downstairs into the lounge room. Her parents and Jack's aunt and uncle were sitting on the couch in an uncomfortable silence. She felt her heart beat racing as the eyes of her parents and Jack's aunt and uncle turned to her and Jack. Instinctively, she stepped closer to Jack. He responded instantly and draped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"Explain yourselves," her father order, glaring at her. "Please tell me why it is I had to find out about this...this… thing of yours from an email."

Taking a deep breath, she looked at her parents. She felt Jack's grip on her tighten as she recounted their tale. Slowly, she told how they had started out bickering, but had grown closer following the group assignment and Jack's assistance in the Hans situation. She felt a pang of guilt, watching as her mum gasped in response to the news of Hans' treatment of her and Anna. Finishing her story, she told her parents how she had found herself falling for Jack before he had confessed his feelings and asked her on their first date.

"How long?" her father interrupted. "How long has this been going on behind our backs?"

"Just over five months," Jack replied, fixing his gaze on her father. "Happiest time of my life. Although, I've been in love with El for eight years."

"All the time spent away from the house over the past few months," her mum began. "They were to be with Jack?"

She nodded, flicking her head between her parents. "Most of them, yes," she admitted. "Although, there was a lot of truth in me spending time with Lana as well. Lana's boyfriend, Fred, is good friends with Jack. Half the time we spent together was with our friends."

She heard a rough cough and turned to face Nick North. "I...I don't know if I want to know the answer to this, but considering how you were found, I'll ask anyway. I...uh… I take it that the two of you have slept together," he asked.

Blushing, she turned to bury her head on Jack's chest. Her eyes glanced up at his, meeting his gaze and he nodded.

"Yes," Jack mumbled, bowing his head. "We have."

She could hear the loud gasp as the room fell silent. Biting her lip, she shifted her head to survey the room. Her mum was sitting with her mouth open. Jack's aunt had stepped out of the room while she shooed his sister, Emily, away. Nick North was shaking his head and muttering Jack's name. Turning to face her father, she watched as the information sunk in.

"You no good thug!" roared her father, jumping to his feet as he approached Jack. "First you make my daughter cry and stalk her at work. Then you get involved in a fight, which apparently was for her honour and then you use whatever charm or power of persuasion you have over her to...to...steal her innocence. "

She gasped. Stepping in front of Jack, she raised her hands in defeat. "Dad, no!" she cried. "It wasn't like at all. Jack...Jack... he didn't have to persuade me. I fell for him. I chose to be with him, to do things with him. I love him."

"That may be so, Elsa, but I'm telling you now. This thing ends today," he snapped. "I will not allow for this...this mistake to carry on any further."

"Mr Blanchard," Jack began, stepping out from behind her. "I can tell you now. This is no mistake. I love your daughter. Hell, I've been head-over-heels in love with her for eight years. Long before she even gave me the time of day. This is not some infatuation or rebellion. We are not kids with no idea of life or love. We are adults."

"Oh, you are an adult are you?" her father hissed, turning to glare at Jack. "So what happens? You mutter sweet words to my daughter so she thinks she is in love with you. Then, when the timing is right you move in and steal company secrets to relay to your uncle and boom, my business and all that I have worked for, all that my daughter is working for, is reduced to nothing. A chance to ruin my second business, perhaps."

"Dad!" she shrieked, staring at her father in horror. "Jack would never do anything like that."

"How dare you!" Nick spat, turning to glare at her father. "You dare bring up things from the past. Things that I have told you repeatedly, were not my fault. Now you go accusing my nephew of having less than honourable intentions when you don't even know him!"

She groaned. She watched as her father turned to face Nick North, his face flushed with anger. Letting out a small cry, she felt Jack's arms wrap tightly around her waist as he held her close.

"I don't need, or care to know your nephew," her father snapped. "I think the fact that the last two times I've seen him, he has been bruised from a fight tells me all I need to know. All I care about is ensuring the security of my family, my business and trying to prevent my daughter from having her heart broken."

"Dad!" she cried, wriggling free of Jack's grip. "That time all those months ago, when you saw Jack bruised. He was bruised because he got in a fight with Hans. After Hans had made a threat against Anna and I. He was protecting us and had turned to walk away, but Hans struck from behind like a coward. The bruises you see on him now are from another fight. Admittedly, he did act rashly, but he only did it to protect me. Hans blackmailed me and slapped me and Jack, Jack...he reacted."

"Elsa, go get your things and get in the car," her father ordered, glaring at her. "I am not going to allow you to continue to screw up, or to risk your future for this boy. This thing is over."

"No," she protested, wringing her hands. "It's not over. I love him."

"I beg your pardon!" Walt cautioned, his voice low. "I hardly think you are in a position to act out anymore, Elsa. This...this..phase with the lying and the sneaking around behind our backs, it ends today. No excuses and no further discussions."

She let out a strangled cry and turned to face Jack. She could feel her heart racing as she struggled to find the words to speak. It was at this point in time where she would normally storm out and run to him, to be comforted by Jack, but not today. Today he was right there beside her, looking defeated as their words went ignored by her angered father.

"Walt, please. Maybe we should go home and think things through. You know, wait until we all calm down after the shock," her mother pleaded, reaching over to grip at her husband's hand.

"Mr Blanchard, I can assure you that I have zero interest in hurting your company," Jack stated calmly. "As for hurting El, well, I'd rather hurt myself than hurt her. Everything I do is for her. I lo-"

"Jackson," Nick interrupted, pinching his nose. "I think that it is a good idea for Elsa and her family to go home. It is obvious that they have things to discuss, as do we."

She sighed. Turning to face Jack, she could feel the tears building up in her eyes. Slowly, she made her way to head up the stairs to grab her belongings. Behind her, she could hear the sound of Jack moving to follow her before his uncle called out and stopped him. Once upstairs, she caught a glimpse of Thia North, who gave her a sympathetic smile before ducking back into her room. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she entered Jack's room and grabbed her bag.

Trudging down the stairs, she found her parents standing awkwardly in the entranceway with Jack and his aunt and uncle. Her father's glare was fixed on Jack.

"Elsa, your mother is riding with you," he stated. "As it turns out, we can no longer trust you to tell the truth. I have to go into work. This conversation is a long way from being over. We will deal with this and your punishment later."

Sighing, she nodded. Her eyes fell on Jack as she choked back a tear. Catching Jack's gaze, she leaned forward and boldly pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "I love you," she whispered, brushing her hand through his hair before pulling apart.

* * *

Jack watched as Elsa was bundled into the passenger seat of her own car while her mother took the keys and climbed behind the wheel. He felt his heart sinking as he noticed the sorrowful expression on her face. She looked defeated.

Throwing caution to the wind, he opened his mouth to tell her that he loved her. He watched as her spirits lifted slightly and she turned to give him a smile before pulling the door shut.

He watched as her mother started her car and pulled away from the kerb.

"Jack" Thia called softly as she moved to stand beside him.

"Don't talk to me, Thia," he warned, turning to storm into the house. "Unless you know how the hell I can fix this mess and change Elsa's dad's opinion of me then I suggest you leave me alone."

"Jack, it will be okay," Thia called. "I promise. Give it time. He will come around and see that you are a great guy. Besides, it's painfully obvious how in love you and Elsa are."

"Will it?" he asked, turning to face his cousin and waving his hands. "Because last time I checked, Walt Blanchard still hates your dad for something that happened before you were born. He still hates him for something that wasn't Uncle Nick's fault."

He watched as she frowned. "I rest my case," he muttered.

Storming inside, he thundered up the stairs and into his room. He slammed the door behind him, not even caring if it was immature and flung himself on the bed. His hands fumbled on the bedside table for his phone. Angrily, he tapped at the screen and composed a text to Elsa. His eyes fell on the image of her and him that he used as a phone background and he smiled.

He had just hit send when someone knocked on his door.

"Thia, go away. I'm not in the mood for one of your 'everything-will-be-okay' talks," he shouted before turning to lie on his side.

"It's not Thia and you don't have a choice. We need to talk, Jackson," boomed his uncle's voice as the door slowly opened

Groaning, he sat up. He watched as his uncle took a seat on the edge of his bed. "I don't want to talk," he muttered.

"Ah, but Jack, you need to. Besides, I do want to talk. I was restrained earlier. I tried not to judge because I can see that you really care for Elsa and she cares for you," North began, scratching his chin. "However, you can not deny that you and Elsa have been deceiving us by carrying on a secret relationship -"

"Wait, how can you dare say Elsa and I deceived you or anyone else?" Jack interrupted, looking at him.

His uncle sighed. "Jackson, please listen," he continued. "Do you know how it felt to open the door this morning to a very angry Walt Blanchard? To have him show me photo's of you and Elsa and tell me that she was here. I told him that she was not here, but he swore her car

was parked outside our house. So, we come to your room and find you and Elsa in a compromising position. I was humiliated, Jack. I had no idea that this was happening in my own home.

He hung his head in shame. He couldn't deny that his uncle had raised a good point. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I really didn't stop to think about how this could affect you and Aunt Clara. I didn't think that we would be caught."

North sighed. "It's okay, we can forgive you. To be honest, I always suspected that you had a crush on her. I've seen the way you have looked at her over the years. I just had no idea how long for, or that she returned your feelings," he chuckled. "Though, I worry for that girl. She is in for quite the long talk when her father gets home. He is not as willing to forgive the follies of youth and young love."

He frowned. Lifting his head, he looked at his uncle. "He doesn't see her, or how his actions affect her. He doesn't see how perfect she is."

"He has good intentions. There is no doubt in my mind of that. Everything he does, he does because he truly believes it to be right," North began, reaching out to grip Jack's shoulder. "However, it is not our place to speculate. Now tell me about you and Elsa."

He sighed. Opening his mouth, he repeated the story of their relationship. He filled his uncle in on how he had fallen for her as a 13-year-old and had always fumbled or made a fool of himself in front of her, or make her angry. He then finished with how it came to be that she had come to see him in a new light and had realised that he genuinely cared for her.

"So, the black eye all those months ago was for Elsa right?" his uncle broke in.

He nodded. "Like Elsa said earlier, it was Hans who made a threat against her and Anna. I tried to walk away, but he attacked from behind and I gave in and fought back," he admitted. "We thought that he had gone away until Monday when he approached her again and slapped her."

"Once again, Jack, you wanted to be the hero. You wanted to protect her," North added. "Only this time it seems that you fell into a dirty trap."

"Yes, I did," he agreed, shaking his head. "The thing is, I knew that I shouldn't have gone looking for a fight. It was just, I got so mad that he not only intimidated her and blackmailed her, but he slapped her. He freaking slapped my girlfriend, the woman I love!"

"You love her?" North asked, his face breaking into a smile as he looked at Jack.

He blushed. "Yes, I do. I love her so much. She really is the most amazing girl...woman, I have ever known. I mean, she's smart, beautiful, caring, funny, sweet, she is perfect," he murmured.

He felt a hand on a shoulder and glanced up to watch as his uncle stood to his feet. "Well then, Jack. I shall cross my fingers that it works out in your favour. I can see that Elsa is deeply in love with you as well," he said. "I shall leave you to rest now. I do need to go to work."

He nodded and watched as his uncle left the room, pulling the door shut behind him. Letting out a loud exhale, he collapsed back on his bed as his thoughts turned to Elsa.

* * *

Elsa stared out the window. Her hands were wound tightly around her body. Tension filled the air. She sensed that her mum was desperate to talk to her, but she had remained quiet.

Slowly, the car came to a halt in the driveway of their home. Leaning down, she pressed the button to undo her seatbelt and jumped out the car. She grabbed her overnight bag from its spot on the floor and slung it on her shoulders as she bolted towards the front door. Digging in her bag, she pulled out her keys and unlocked the front door before storming inside.

She heard her mum calling her name, but ignored her. Instead, she raced up the stairs and narrowly avoided colliding with Anna.

"Elsa, what's wrong?" Anna called, turning on her heels to follow her.

"Life," she shot back, throwing her bag on the floor before flinging herself onto the bed. "Life is what's wrong, Anna."

"I'm confused," Anna said, moving to sit beside her on the bed. "Did something happen with Jack?"

She let out a small sob before turning to her side to face Anna. "No, I mean yes, but it's not what you think," she replied. "Hans, he sent the email early. Jack and I woke up. We had already decided to stay home today. We figured that it would give his body more time to recover and we could go over what we had planned to say tonight. Anyway, we wake up this morning and it's all seemingly normal. We were in bed and the next thing you know, Dad and Jack's uncle burst in."

Anna gasped. "Wait, when you say that you were in bed, you weren't doing anything were you?" she whispered.

Blushing, she shook her head. "No, I was in my nightie and Jack was in his pyjama pants. We were lying there, kissing and he had his hand on my thigh and I was just rubbing his back, but that was it," she protested.

The sound of her phone beeping cut through the air. Leaning over, she grabbed her bag and pulled her phone out. Sniffing back a tear, she swiped to view the message from Jack.

"Elsa," her mother's voice called as she leaned against the door frame. "We need to talk."

Raising her head, she blinked back the tears and faced her mother. Her mind raced with smart comebacks, but she said nothing. Instead, she watched as her mother stepped into the room and turned to face Anna.

"Anna, can you give us a few minutes please?" Lillian spoke calmly. "I need to speak with your sister."

Anna nodded. Reaching over, she flung her arms around Elsa's shoulders. "It will work out, I promise," she whispered before turning to leave.

She watched through tear-stained eyes as Anna pulled the door closed behind her. Slowly, she pulled her knees up, hugging them to her chest as she stared at the closed door.

"Why, Elsa?" her mum whispered. "Why did this happen? The lies and the sneaking around. Your father and I raised you to be honest, to tell the truth and then we find out that you have been lying to us, sneaking around and withholding information. How could you?"

Taking a deep breath, she stared at her mum. "Are you honestly telling me that you and Dad would have listened?" she asked. "You saw how Dad was back there. He was so full of his own issues with Jack's uncle and his ill-conceived image of who Jack is. He ignored everything that we had to say!"

"Elsa, be fair. You have had your run-ins with Jack in the past. Your father and I wake this morning to discover that you have been lying to us. All the times we thought that you were either attending study groups, or with Lana and it turns out you weren't. We now know that most of those times were spent with him, with Jack," her mother pleaded.

She shook her head. "Exactly! I had a run-in with Jack and we moved on. Both of us were in the wrong and part of the issue was his own nerves around me," she reasoned. "He used to get so nervous around me because of how long he's liked me."

"Elsa, be fair. You held back a lot more than just your relationship," Lillian pointed out. "You also failed to tell us about the way this Hans guy treated both you and Anna. Do you really think we liked hearing that our youngest daughter had vile rumours spread about her, or that our eldest was threatened and physically assaulted by the same man?"

Crossing her arms, Elsa turned to face her. "Jack protected us," she stated. "That's why he was bruised. Everything we told you back at his house is true."

"That may be so, but it doesn't excuse the fact that for the last few months you have lied to us and deceived us. You didn't think that we deserved to know that our daughters had been threatened?" Lillian countered. "Or that both our daughters have been in romantic relationships, but only one had the decency to be honest and upfront about it."

She scoffed. "Like Dad would have allowed me to go out with Jack if he had known. He is so hell-bent on hating Nick North for something that I don't believe was his fault, something that happened in the past. He would never have accepted Jack."

"So, you thought that sneaking around with him behind our backs was the way to go?" Lillian asked. "You thought that was the way to convince us that he's a good guy and that your relationship is legit?"

Sighing, she shook her head. "No," she admitted. "At first we wanted to keep it a secret and see how it went, if it was going to go anywhere. Then, as the weeks passed and our relationship got stronger, we struggled with hiding it. We were actually going to come here tonight to tell you and Dad about us."

"I see…" her mum murmured. "I want you to be honest here. Is the fact that this Hans guy blackmailed you the only reason you planned on revealing the relationship?"

"No," she replied, bowing her head. "We wanted to tell you for a couple of weeks. It's just Anna found out and we had to get her used to the idea. We got so caught up on introducing her to Jack and helping her to see that he's not the lazy, rude, asshole that Dad thinks him to be. The sneaking around was starting to weigh us down."

Her mother gave her a bleak smile. "I should have known that Anna would know. You two have always been close," she muttered. "Has he been here?"

Gulping, she nodded. "Yes, he has stayed the night a few times," she whispered.

"What?!" her mother yelled, throwing her hands up. "Elsa Kim, you mean to tell me that you have had Jack stay the night in our house while your father and I have been only a few feet across the hall?"

"You said you wanted honesty and I'm being honest," she began, wringing her hands. "He's only spent a few nights here, no more than four."

Lillian nodded. "Did you..I mean, were you...active?" she stammered.

Blushing, she buried her head in her hands. "Yes," she squeaked. "Before you ask, I'm on the pill. I'm not planning on falling pregnant anytime soon."

"I knew it! I knew that you were screwing when he was here!" Anna shouted, her disembodied voice carrying through the door.

"Anna," Lillian warned, moving to open the door, "When I asked you to give us space, it did not mean sit against the bedroom door to eavesdrop."

She stifled a laugh, watching as Anna hastily skipped out of sight while muttering her apologies to their mum.

"I'm not breaking up with him, Mum," she stated, turning to face her mother. "I'm sorry if that angers you and Dad, but I can't. I love him too much. He is not only the man I love, he is my best friend and I want to be with him."

Her mother sighed and reached to take her hand. "You need to give us time. You know what your father is like. It will take him some time. I'm still in shock that you could lie to us - "

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know that we should have been honest from the start, but as I said, we wanted to get to know each other more. We just wanted time to work out where it was headed before we dealt with the fact that Dad hates Jack's family."

Her mother let out a loud exhale. "Apology accepted. However, there will be some consequences. You may be 21, but you are still living under our roof and you did break some rules," she warned.

She nodded. Reaching over, she opened her bedside drawer and pulled out a framed photo of her and Jack that Lana had snapped. She smiled briefly at the captured image before placing it on her bedside table.

"You really care about him?" her mum asked, glancing at the photo.

She blushed. "I do. I love him," she vowed, shaking her head. "I never thought that I could love someone like I love him. Jack is...he's different. He is kind, caring, gorgeous, protective. He's also sweet, intelligent, funny and he loves me. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Her mother stood to her feet. Leaning over, she pressed a kiss to her forehead. "As I said, there will be a punishment for the lying. That said, I will talk to your father about the relationship and will see what I can do," she stated. "Try and get some sleep."

Nodding, she watched as her mother left the room. Rolling over, she traced her finger over the framed photo. She knew that Jack was optimistic that things would work out in their favour eventually. However, at the moment the only small favour seemed to be that they no longer had to hide their relationship.

* * *

**A/N- Whew, I think this is the longest chapter I've written. As always thank you for your reviews. I'd like to put out a special thanks to MaliJo who surprised me with a lovely piece of fan art that she drew for the story. I can't tell you how much it made my day to see the gorgeous drawing.**


	25. Chapter 25

Jack frowned. His eyes glanced over to the carpark as he made his way to greet Elsa. From a distance, he could see that she had lost weight. The strain of the last two weeks, since their relationship had been discovered, was slowly taking its toll on her.

As expected, his family had come to accept the relationship. They had told him that Elsa would be accepted in their home anytime. Their only requirement was that he respected Elsa's family's wishes and that the couple remained honest about their whereabouts. In the end, he had been let off with only a warning to not go pushing his luck, or doing anything that could further anger Elsa's parents.

Walt Blanchard, on the other hand, had continued to remain stubbornly opposed to their relationship. Elsa had told him that she had spent the night they'd been caught trying her best to reason with her dad. She had tried her best to avoid getting in heated arguments with her controlling father, but it had proven unsuccessful. Her father had been quick to ground her and had restricted her to working with him in the Kingdom company headquarters when not at university. She had also been forbidden from leaving the house for anything other than work or university.

He watched as Elsa raised her head. A small smile crept over her face as she caught sight of him. Grinning, he picked up the pace and broke into long strides in order to reach her.

"Hey, gorgeous," he cooed, pulling her into his arms and planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Ugh, if you two are going to start on the mushy talk and the kissing then I'm out of here," Anna groaned, scrunching her nose out at them. "I'll see you two later."

"Hi to you too," he laughed, poking his tongue out at Anna as she waved them off to head in the direction of the art department.

"You sure know how to get rid of her," Elsa teased, reaching up to wrap her hands around his neck before pulling him down for a kiss.

Breaking the kiss, he sighed. "Well, we've only got limited time while your dad is insisting on being as stubborn as a mule," he groaned, reaching down to grip her hand and intertwining their fingers. "Have you had any progress with him?"

Shaking her head, she looked at him. "No, he still thinks that we should break up. He's convinced that you are going to break my heart and steal our business secrets. I've tried talking to him. Anna has been telling him that you're awesome and that Kristoff likes you and even Mum is starting to come around to the idea of us being together," she said

"Wait, your mum likes me?" he asked, raising his eyebrow

Elsa sighed. "I don't know if she's at the 'like you' stage yet. She is, however, willing to accept that she doesn't really know you. She's open to giving you a chance based off what Anna and I have said about you," she explained. "She is still mad at me for lying and sneaking around to be with you though. It's just Dad who is really being stubborn."

"He does know that the guy who sent him the photo's is the same guy who: led Anna on, spread bullshit rumours about her, threatened both you and Anna, tried to blackmail you and slapped you, right?" he asked, squeezing her hand as they rounded the corner that led to their classroom. "Yet, I'm still the bad guy. I really can't understand your dad, El."

"I've given up trying," Elsa murmured, pulling him into the classroom. "Even Anna is at a loss. When we've tried to talk to him, he just says that it may seem cruel, but that he's only looking out for me and for our family."

He sighed. Raising his free hand, he gave a small wave to their friends. Slowly, he pulled her towards the seats that had been saved for her. The thought of turning around, taking Elsa with him and fleeing the classroom entered his mind, but he pushed it aside. Convincing Elsa to take a 'sick' day would only serve as another strike against him as far as Walt Blanchard was concerned.

* * *

Elsa groaned. The decision to attend summer classes in order to finish her degree earlier was starting to feel like a bad idea. She hadn't thought it was possible, but Professor Weselton's lectures were even more boring in the summer season. Her eyes flicked to Jack, who was sitting beside her and smiled. At least his punctuality had improved. Latecomers to Weselton's summer classes were met with an indignant glare and the reminder that he was giving up his own summer to prove them with an education. Naturally, the financial incentive that he received for working through his holidays was left unmentioned.

Finally, the balding professor finished his lecture. He glanced at the clock before dismissing the class. Yawning, she slid her laptop and textbooks back into her bag before sliding out of her seat to wait for Jack and their friends. Taking his hand in hers, they walked towards the cafeteria. She waited patiently while Jack stopped to purchase them a cool drink each before heading outside and joining their friends under a large, shady tree.

* * *

Elsa let out a content sigh. Her head rested against Jack's shoulders as she listened to him, Jamie and Fred exchange in their normal friendly, good-natured teasing. She ran her hand along Jack's arm which was draped around her waist, holding her close to him.

"Hey Elsa," Lana spoke, raising her head from the magazine she'd been flicking through. "Isn't it coming up close to your six month anniversary?"

She nodded. Tilting her head, she shared a smile with Jack before turning to face Lana.

"Friday," she replied. "Our anniversary is on Friday."

"So what are you going to do?" Jamie asked, sitting up to face her and Jack. "I mean, you've said that you are pretty much a prisoner in your house when you're not at work or uni, Elsa. It doesn't really sound like your dad will be letting Jack come for dinner anytime soon."

She frowned and turned to face Jack. "Well, it falls on the Friday. I'll be stuck working in the office and then afterwards I'm expected to go home and catch up on my assignments."

"Sneak in, Jack. You know you want to," Fred teased. "Plus, we all know that you know how to do that."

* * *

Jack chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "I want to, believe me. I've thought about it, but I think her dad would kill me. Actually, no, I know that he would kill me and I'm actually trying to convince him to give me a chance. Therefore, I need to stay on my best behaviour."

"You know, you would not have had this problem if Elsa had agreed to my condition," a bored voice spoke from behind him.

Frowning, he shifted his head. He felt Elsa stiffen as Hans and one of his friends stepped out from behind the tree. Jumping to his feet, he turned to face him. Instinctively, he pulled Elsa to her feet and tightened his grip on her. Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched as Jamie, Fred and Lana came to stand beside him with their arms crossed as they glared at Hans.

"Cut the crap, Westergaard. We all know that you would have sent those photo's regardless of what Elsa chose," he hissed.

Hans chortled and turned to face his friend before turning his attention to Elsa. "Say, Elsa, does Daddy know that you are still seeing this loser?" he sneered. "Or that you insist on flaunting your pathetic relationship around the campus? At least now he won't be surprised when his second company fails. Although, this time when it does, it will be because of you, Elsa. All because you let this moron get into your head and your bed."

He felt Elsa freeze as Hans played on her insecurities. "Ignore him, El. He's just an asshole with nothing better to do than talk bullshit," he hissed.

"Oh, Elsie, really. Your boyfriend has such a potty mouth. No wonder your dad still hasn't approved your relationship," Hans taunted. "Then again, I'd be nothing but no-good scum if I had been responsible for my own mother's death."

He felt his jaw clench as he dropped his grip on Elsa. "Okay, that's it, asshole," he snapped, curling his hand into a fist. "You're going down."

"Jack, don't," Elsa cried as she reached her hand out to grip at his arm. "He's not worth it."

He softened. Turning to face Elsa, he saw the pleading look in her eyes and uncurled his fist. He watched as she let out a breath of relief before reaching out to pull him into her arms.

"He's just trying to get to you. He _wants _you to snap, so that he can use it against us," she whispered, running a finger through his hair.

"Get out of here, Westergaard," Fred threatened, stepping in front of Jack and Elsa. "You're not welcome here."

Hans smirked. "Don't worry, I'm leaving. I have a date that I need to get ready for," he teased. "You see, unlike some, the father's of girls I date actually want me around their daughter's."

He let out a breath that he'd not known he was holding as he watched Hans snap his fingers at his friend and walk away. Slowly, Elsa released her grip on him before leaning in to press a quick kiss on his cheek.

"You know, I'm starting to wonder why exactly that guy is so invested in your relationship," Lana spoke. "There has got to be more to it than him simply being a pretentious jerk."

* * *

Elsa let out a soft yawn as she finished washing her plate. She rinsed it and left it to drain on the sink in the kitchen of Kingdom Ice Creamery's headquarters. Slowly, she made her way back to her desk. She was in no hurry to return to the paperwork that was waiting for her when she returned. Not when she didn't even have the hope of seeing Jack at some point.

She had tried all week to get her father to allow her to go out and spend the day with Jack. She had tried reasoning with him that it was their six month anniversary, but he had been firm in his refusal. As a result, Jack had picked up a shift at his family's flagship store. Instead of spending the day with him, she'd had to make do with text messages and missed calls in between their busy work day.

Sitting herself down at her desk, she carefully placed her mug of coffee to the side. Hitting the keyboard, she tried to focus on the work on her screen. Beside her, she heard the desk phone ring before being answered by Lisa, her father's payroll manager.

"Elsa," Lisa whispered, shielding the phone's mouthpiece. "There's a delivery for you down in reception. You need to go sign for it."

Sighing, she pushed her chair away from the desk. Walking slowly, she made her way towards the reception area. Her eyes widened as she noticed the courier leaning against the desk, clipboard in hand with a small box arrangement of flowers and a plush teddy bear.

"Elsa Blanchard?" the man asked, staring at her.

She nodded. Her eyes glanced to Chelsea, the receptionist, who was sitting with an amused grin on her face.

"Sign here," the courier stated, holding out a clipboard with a delivery form and pen.

Taking the clipboard, she quickly signed her name before handing it back to the man. She could feel her cheeks heating up as he turned to hand her the flowers and teddy bear along with a small card. She ignored the curious expression on Chelsea's face and turned to make her way back to her desk.

Back at her desk, she carefully set the flowers and teddy down before pulling out the card. She felt her heart skip a beat as she read the small message from Jack. Pulling out her phone, she quickly snapped a photo before snapping a photo and sending it via text to Jack to thank him.

"The boyfriend?" Lisa asked, leaning over to breathe in the scent of the flowers.

She nodded. "Yes, it's our six month anniversary today," she explained.

A second later, her phone lit up with a new message from Jack.

J: "_You're welcome. Happy six-month anniversary. I miss you and love you."_

* * *

Elsa sat curled up on her bed, sipping a cup of hot chocolate. She'd excused herself from the dinner table earlier to speak to Jack. The two of them had spent the last two hours on the phone until he'd been called down to assist his younger sister.

She had only just hung the phone up when Anna had knocked on the door with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate and had claimed the need for a sisterly chat.

"Mum's softening, you know," Anna said, pulling the soft teddy to her lap. "To Jack, I mean. I heard her talking to Dad about it earlier. She reckons that Jack seems like a nice enough guy and that you truly love him. She thinks that her and Dad should at least give him a chance."

Elsa looked at her, putting the mug down as she reached to grip Anna's hand. "Normally I'd tell you off for eavesdropping again, but in this case tell me more," she urged.

"Hey, I wasn't eavesdropping. I just happened to linger outside the lounge room door a bit longer than was necessary," Anna pouted, poking her tongue out.

"Alright, alright, you weren't eavesdropping," she insisted, rolling her eyes. "Can you just tell me what you heard?"

Anna sighed. "Okay, so Mum said that she thinks that we should at least have Jack over for dinner because she can tell that you are in love. She said something about being afraid that if they deny your relationship that it will only cause a rift, or you will become rebellious," she began. "Dad, of course, is still being stubborn. He says that just because Jack has defended us and sent you flowers and a toy doesn't mean he won't break your heart, or worse. So then Mum told him that you are 21 and that they have to let you make your decisions, live your own life and…"

"And?" Elsa urged, wringing her hands.

"And nothing," Anna said, frowning. "That was around the point when I accidentally stood on the noisy floorboard and Dad yelled at me for eavesdropping. So, I disappeared into the kitchen to make the hot chocolates and well, you know the rest."

Elsa groaned, poking out her tongue at her sister. "Thank you," she added. "I mean for listening and telling me."

Anna smiled, reaching over to hug her. "Hey, I told you I was on your and Jack's side. Besides, you know if Mum's starting to get on his case that it's a positive sign. Dad always ends up caving to Mum," she said.

She grinned. Reaching over, she pulled her new teddy bear to her chest and hugged it. She couldn't help feeling a tiny bit positivity and hoped that Anna was right.

* * *

**A/N- Hard to believe we're reaching the end of this story, just a few more chapters. I've just started my next Jelsa story. So will be posting chapters of both stories.**

**Thank you all for your reviews as always.**

**Keep Calm and Ship Jelsa :)**


	26. Chapter 26

Hans leaned back lazily against his chair in Arendelle university's library. He'd come to the library to get some studying done and to avoid the sound of the sweet 16th party going on at his neighbours house. His tolerance for the spoiled girl who lived next door was already low. Throw in a collection of her teenaged friends and a DJ playing a high rotation of insufferable boy bands and the atmosphere was positively grating.

He had only been at the library for a mere ten minutes when his uncle had called and had demanded to catch up. He had been apprehensive at first, but had caved and had told his uncle to meet him at the university library. To his relief, the older man had willingly agreed to make the drive after citing the need to leave the confines of his house.

"I see that my old stomping ground hasn't changed much," drawled Edward, stepping from behind Hans and startling him.

Smirking, he turned to watch as his uncle lowered himself into the chair. "I see you found me," he stated.

"That I did, boy," Edward noted. "It's not hard to spot class amongst the riff-raff that they let into this university."

Hans chortled. "Trust me, Uncle. It is actually a lot worse during the normal school year. I have often questioned the sort of students that they accept. Some right thugs go here."

Edward nodded. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small silver flask and took a sip. "Speaking of fellow students, how is the situation with our Mr Frost and Miss Blanchard?" he asked. "Any progress?"

Hans smirked. Lifting his head, he caught his uncle's gaze. "Quite good actually. I'm glad you asked.

"After I took the photo's, I approached Elsa. I made sure to get to her after she had finished a shift at work and when she was alone. I gave her a few simple options. I told her that she could either force her sister to dump the loser she is with and come back to me, or that I'd show the photo's to her father. Of course, she never really had a choice. Well, needless to say, she was not happy. She got a bit defensive and I had to slap her to shut her up. Naturally, she ran to her boyfriend immediately after. However, this time, I was ready. I simply paid two of the university's most dimwitted thugs to help me beat Jack up. We managed to land him in hospital. Poor boy, he didn't stand a chance," he boasted.

"Keep going boy," Edward sneered. "What about Walt and North, do they know yet?"

Hans nodded. "Oh they know," he chuckled. "I sent the email to Daddy Blanchard earlier than they were expecting. From what I've overheard, it went down like this. Apparently dear Elsa had lied to her daddy about her whereabouts. After Jack got out the hospital, little Elsa ran running to his side to comfort him. So, when her dad got the email and flipped out, he went to find her. As luck would have it, he turned up on the North's doorstep and found her in a somewhat compromising position in Frost's bed. Needless to say, her daddy wasn't very happy and has grounded her. She's lost all her freedom. As far as I know, the only time they get to see each other is here at university."

His uncle grinned. "That girl can kiss her little relationship goodbye. Her father will never approve of it. Walt has always been the more cautious one. I dare say that if he had been the one lodging the money, I would not have been able to steal it so easily. North, on the other hand, has always been pathetically trusting. He always wants to see the good in others, always wants people to be his friend and always wants to -"

"I get it," he snapped, wincing slightly at the glare his uncle shot him. "What exactly is it you have planned, Uncle? You have already ruined their first business. How exactly do you intend to mess with them now?"

His uncle turned to stare at him. "That, my boy is going to take a bit of effort. We are going to have to step up the game. We need to simultaneously play on Walt's fears as well as becoming more proactive. I am going to need you to call on your talented little computer friend and see if he can help get us access into both Kingdom's and the Guardians' systems. Once we have access to their computers, we have control and they will be putty in our hands."

* * *

Fred let out a loud gasp as he hit stop on his phone's video camera.

He had spent the last two hours bent over the books in one of the university's library carrels. He had been about to pack up to leave when he had caught sight of Hans Westergaard lazing on a nearby chair with his phone pressed to his ear. From what Fred could figure out, Hans had been talking to someone about Jack and Elsa. Apparently, the topic of Jack and Elsa was so important that whomever Hans was talking to, was willing to make a trip into the university to discuss it further.

He had sighed and settled back into his chair. Hans had caused a lot of trouble for Jack and Elsa lately and he was willing to bet that whatever he had in mind, wasn't good. He had pulled out his hat and had placed it over his curly hair before sending a text to his girlfriend, telling her that he would be a bit longer and to not call him in the meantime.

He had not had to wait long. Less than fifteen minutes later, a tall, lanky man with dyed black hair had entered the library. After looking around, the man had found Hans and had taken the seat opposite him. Something about the man had given him a bad vibe. Carefully, he had pulled out his phone and had positioned it so that the camera lens was facing Hans and his accomplice and had hit record.

Shaking his head, he looked down at the video that he had captured. Hans and his accomplice had not stayed long, but their brief chat had managed to answer a few questions while raising even more. Keeping his head low, he watched as Hans stood up and left the library.

Pulling out his phone, he quickly dialled Lana's number. She had thought that something was sketchy with the way Hans seemed invested in Jack and Elsa's relationship and it turned out that she had been right. What's more, it seemed that not only had Hans been responsible for their friends' recent troubles, but his uncle had a long history of messing with Elsa's father and Jack's uncle.

* * *

Jack sighed. Flopping down on his bed, he pulled his laptop onto his lap and booted it up. He'd not long been home after having spent the morning working behind the counter of Guardians' flagship store.

He logged onto Facebook and noticed the new message alert. Clicking onto the message, he felt his spirit sinking slightly when he realised it wasn't from Elsa. Instead, it was a group message sent to him, Elsa, Lana and Jamie from Fred and contained a link to a private video that Fred had uploaded with the order to watch it as soon as possible.

Frowning, he had turned the sound up on his computer and had hit play. He frowned as the video played, showing Hans and an unknown man, who had been identified as Hans' uncle, discuss him and Elsa. According to the the man's own confession, he had played a major part in the downfall of his uncle and Walt Blanchard's first business. Now it appeared that he had even more more trouble planned for their families while his and Elsa's relationship was doomed to become a casualty in the process.

Closing the link, he let out a loud exhale which he followed with an even louder expletive. He had never felt more angry in his life. He needed to make sure that Elsa saw the video. Glancing at his watch, he noticed that it was 3pm. Elsa was not due to finish work for another few hours, which meant he would have to risk angering her father and contacting her while she worked. Picking up his phone, he dialled her mobile, but it went directly to voicemail. Reluctantly, he searched online for the phone number of Kingdom Ice Creamery headquarters. Taking a deep breath, he made the call and waited patiently while the receptionist transferred the call to Elsa.

He could hear the trepidation in her voice as she took the call. '_Jack, what are you doing? If my father finds out that you've called me here there will be trouble,' _she whispered.

"I know, El, but please trust me on this. You need to check your Facebook. There is a message from Fred with a video link. It's to do with Hans. Apparently him and his uncle have played a major role in the mess between our families and they have more trouble planned. Please, babe, you need to see it now," he said. "Please, just trust me on this."

He heard her let out a small sigh. '_Okay, hold on,' _she murmured.

He waited a few minutes while she pulled out her phone and logged onto Facebook.

'_Jack!'_ she gasped. '_This is...we need to...'_

"I know," he murmured. "That asshole and his uncle have some explaining to do. We have to get our families together, El. They need to know so that we can get to the bottom of this. I knew it, I bloody knew that my uncle was innocent."

'_So what do we do now?'_ Elsa asked. '_Dad is in a meeting for the rest of the afternoon and I'm caught up with paperwork. It will have to wait until we get home when I can show it to both Mum and Dad.'_

"Yeah that's fine, babe. I'm going to show it to Uncle Nick and Aunt Clara when they get home. I'll stay in touch and let you know what happens. I'll let you get back to work, I'm going to go have a shower. Love you," he said before hanging up the phone.

* * *

Biting her lip, Elsa grabbed her laptop and headed downstairs with the page open to the video that Fred had taken earlier.

She had pulled her mother aside not long after getting home and had showed her the video. Her mother had been shocked and had advised her to wait until after they had finished dinner to show her father.

"Dad," she called, stepping into the lounge room where her parents were seated. "I have something to show you. It's important."

She watched as her father turned to study her before closing his book. "Okay, go ahead," he urged.

Nodding, she moved to kneel beside her father's chair. She shot a look at her mum and watched as she reached to mute the TV volume. Carefully, she balanced the laptop on the armrest of her father's child and hit play on the video. Swallowing the lump that had formed, she watched as her father's jaw clenched while the video played out in front of him.

"Pitch," her father hissed, closing the laptop. "He's behind this. I should have known."

Frowning, she turned to study him. "Dad?"

She watched as her father stood to his feet, a look of determination on his face as he made his way towards the hallway. Pausing at the door, he turned to face her. "Elsa, do you know if Nick North has seen this?" he asked.

She nodded and pulled out her phone. "Jack's just shown him," she admitted. "The video was only taken this morning. It was Lana's boyfriend, Fred, who filmed them. He was studying in the library when Hans and this guy, his uncle, showed up."

"Do you have the North's phone number?" her father asked, reaching to grab the phone from its charger.

She nodded. She scrolled through her phone until she found Jack's home phone number. Handing the phone over, she watched as her dad punched the number in before leaving the room.

The presence of her mother's hand on her shoulder, startled her. Turning around, she caught her mum's gaze and nodded. Suddenly, she felt all the emotions begin to pour out of her as she burst into tears.

"Shh, shh, it's going to be okay," her mum soothed, pulling her into a hug. "This video raises a lot of questions as you know. We are going to have to work with the North's to make sense of it and that will require your father to bury the hatchet, but I can assure you that it will be okay."

She let out a soft sob. "Mum, don't you get it? We have been played. This guy, this 'Pitch' guy and Hans used us. They used Jack and I to mess with you and Dad as well as Jack's aunt and uncle. I mean, it looks like this guy was pretty much responsible for the first business failing and the whole Dad-hates-North thing that followed," she cried.

"He did and it does look bad, but look at it this way. At least now we can work on mending the broken relationships and getting some answers. I know that you've been hurt and believe me, I am furious that this guy deserved to use my daughter to mess with my husband, but at least this is a turn for the better," Lillian murmured, stroking a hand through her hair.

"Ahem," Walt interrupted, a stern look on his face. "Lillian, can you please go get some mugs out ready for guests? Nick and Clara are coming over. They'll be here in ten minutes."

She felt her mum let go of her as she excused herself and made her way into the kitchen.

Blinking, she turned to face her father as she dabbed at her eyes. She watched as her father let out a loud exhale before taking a few steps towards her. He hesitated for a few seconds before he wrapped his arms around her. "It seems that I was wrong, Elsa," he admitted. "According to this video, I have been wrong for years. We have a few things to sort out, answers to get and all that. It just...it seems to me that you and Jack became pawns in Pitch's sick game,"

Sniffing, she pulled out of his grip to face him. "I...are...you…" she stammered.

Her father let out a sigh. "Pitch is a guy that North and I know. We had a history and it wasn't a pleasant one. In short, he was jealous of us. Now it appears that we have all been fooled. Apparently, I was wrong about North and quite possibly about Jack," he began. "Not that you didn't do the wrong thing in lying about your whereabouts and sneaking around."

"Dad, what do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head.

They were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing.

"I mean, that your boyfriend is here," he answered sternly. "Not that I'm promising anything, but your mother has been on at me to give you and the boy a chance to explain yourselves. I just want you to know that I'm not accepting anything, I'm simply going to have a talk with his uncle. There is so much to discuss with North as well as you, your Mum and your sister. It's going to involve honesty from all of us."

She nodded, barely managing to hide the smile that had started to form on her face. She quickly dabbed at the last of the tears while her mother brushed past them to open the front door. Blushing, she moved to follow her father and watched as Nick and Clara North stepped into the house with Jack at their heels.

* * *

Jack grinned. Turning his head, he caught sight of Elsa standing bashfully behind her father with a wide smile on her face.

He had only just shown his uncle and aunt the video when Walt Blanchard had called. He'd watched with interest as his uncle had broken into a wide grin. Hanging up the phone, he had announced to all that were present that things had finally taken a turn for the better and that they had to go to the Blanchard's house.

The short drive to the Blanchard house had been quiet. Jack had known that his uncle was nervous. As Hans' uncle had admitted on the video, his uncle had always been keen to see the good in people. The fact that he had been fooled and in doing so had lost his livelihood and his best friend had hurt him. Especially, as he had claimed to have always been willing to give the man they had dubbed 'Pitch' the benefit of the doubt.

"So, we should...we should head to the kitchen," Walt Blanchard said, breaking through the silence. "Lillian has put the kettle on."

Jack watched as his uncle and aunt nodded and turned to follow Walt Blanchard into the family's kitchen. Reaching out, he grabbed hold of Elsa's hand and gave it a light squeeze before following her into the kitchen.

Walt beckoned to the kitchen table where a plate of cookies had been set out and invited them to take a seat before taking a chair at the head of the table. Gulping, he watched as his aunt and uncle took a seat opposite Walt.

"Jack, you can take a seat next to Elsa," Walt ordered, pointing to two vacant seats.

He nodded. Slowly, he pulled the chair out for Elsa and waited for her to sit down before taking his own seat. He dropped his hand down to take hold of Elsa's.

They sat in an awkward silence for a while as the kettle boiled. He watched as Lillian Blanchard excused herself to pour the coffee's. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied Anna as she made her way towards the kitchen. He stifled a laugh as she caught sight of her father's grim expression before she decided against it and fled the other way.

North cleared his throat and turned to face Walt. "So, it looks like we need to consider hiring lawyers and getting in contact with Edward Black Jr."

Walt nodded. He swallowed a sip of his coffee before letting out a sigh. "I was wrong," he whispered, shaking his head. "We lost everything, North. We lost our business and our friendship. Yet that still wasn't enough because Pitch and his little shit of a nephew decided to set out to mess with my daughters and your nephew."

North frowned. Leaning over, he grabbed his former friends hand. "Walt, my friend. The good thing about losing things is that sometimes, if you look hard enough, they can be found again. Now, I'm not saying that things will go back to how they used to be. I think we need to find Pitch and get in contact with our lawyers first, but if you want, we can move past this and try to repair what was broken," he said.

He watched as Elsa's dad rose from his chair and beckoned for his uncle to follow him. Beside him, he felt Elsa let out a sigh before she dropped her head to rest on his shoulder. Looking up, he noticed Lillian Blanchard and his aunt exchange a knowing smile before they stood up and excused themselves.

Smirking, he stood to his feet. "So, does this mean that your dad is okay with us?" he asked.

Elsa smiled as she got to her feet. "It means, that he's had a nasty shock and realised that he has been fooled. My dad is stubborn, but this is a positive step for him. It will take him a while. I think he wants to speak to Pitch and his lawyers. Though, he did say that he's not accepting anything, but he would talk to your uncle and you."

Grinning, he reached out to pull Elsa into his arms. His arms wrapped tightly around her back while she wrapped her arms around his neck. Leaning in, he pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

Breaking the kiss, he tightened his grip on her. He watched as she moved to rest her head against his chest. "This is a good sign, El," he whispered, stroking a hand through her hair. "Things are going to get better. I can feel it."


	27. Chapter 27

Jack pulled the car to a halt. He switched the motor off before stepping out and locking the vehicle. Grinning, he gazed up at the large house. He couldn't help marvelling at the way his life had changed in only a matter of weeks.

Four weeks had passed since the video of Hans and his uncle Edward 'Pitch' Black had surfaced. His uncle and Elsa's dad had been quick to act. They had spent most of the first weekend holed up in their respective studies going over files and paperwork from their shared business. His uncle, Nick, had relayed everything he remembered from his time at the bank and how he had always found himself going to Pitch's teller where he had been engaged in conversation by the man.

The two former friends had then decided to seek legal action and had called upon one of the city's best lawyers to help them build their case. Together with their lawyer, they had set about contacting the bank where Pitch had worked and had tried to find further proof of the crime that he had committed. However, it had been near impossible to find evidence with Pitch having been clever enough to cover his tracks before he had left the bank.

Taking a deep breath, Jack pressed the doorbell. He could hear the sound of footsteps approaching the door from within. Nervously, he ran a hand through his hair before checking over his shoulder for his aunt and uncle's car. His family had been invited to join the Blanchards for dinner to discuss the events of the day, but Jack had chosen to leave a few minutes before the rest of his family.

"Jackson," Walt greeted, opening the door and poking his head out. "Your aunt and uncle not with you?"

He shook his head. Wiping his shoes, he stepped into the home. "No, sir. They will be a bit late. They are still waiting for my cousin to get ready, she was late home," he explained.

Walt nodded and beckoned for Jack to follow him into the lounge. "Elsa's in the shower. She'll be down soon," he said. "Come sit down, we'll talk."

Gulping, he followed Walt into the lounge room and took a seat on the couch. He still found himself getting nervous around Elsa's father. The tension that had existed between them for so long was still there, although, he knew that Walt was trying. After the revelation that had come from the video, Walt had softened. He'd started to acknowledge Jack's presence in his daughter's life and had even invited him to join the family for dinner the week before.

"Your studies going well?" Walt asked.

He nodded. "Yes, sir. That said, it's been exhausting having to carry on with my studies through the summer, but I keep telling myself that it will be worth it when I graduate earlier," he admitted.

Walt nodded. "Smart boy. That's what I told Elsa. I told her that the earlier she graduates, the earlier she can start putting her degree to use and start living the life that she's worked for."

"So, you and my uncle met with this Pitch guy today?" he asked, running a hand over the back of his neck.

Walt coughed. "We did indeed. We managed to meet with both him and his lawyer," he explained. "Some interesting things were revealed - not only about him, but about his nephew as well. It seems that he is the same old Pitch, only too happy to throw his own family under the bus if it will serve him."

"Dad, you are not talking business are you?" Elsa asked, shaking her head as she crossed the room to take her spot next to Jack.

"Elsa," Walt groaned. "You, your mother and your sister all wanted me to talk to Jack and to get to know him. I was chatting with him."

"Yes, but not about business. Ask Jack about hockey. You know that he's a brilliant player and you...you...well, you like to yell at the hockey on TV," she giggled, reaching her hand out to take Jack's.

"Only when my team loses!" Walt chuckled. "I'm sure that Jack can understand what that is like, right, Jack?"

Grinning, he raised his head to nod at the older man. "That I can, sir. There is this one team, Brechin, that is always hard to beat. We have only ever managed to beat them three times since I've been on the team...and I've been on the team since my first year," he muttered.

Walt chuckled. "Ahh yes. Brechin, they have always been hard to beat on the sports field. I remember they used to kick our asses at baseball, back in the day."

"Right!" he agreed."I mean, we have some pretty good players on our team, but somehow Brechin always wins."

Beside him, he heard Elsa let out a low groan before she moved to rest his head on her shoulder.

* * *

Elsa stood up from her seat as the sound of the doorbell ringing rung through the house. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Anna racing towards the front door to open it. Smiling, she reached down to grab Jack's hand as they moved to greet his aunt, uncle, cousin and sister.

They stood awkwardly in the entranceway for a few seconds before her dad cleared his throat and called them all to join him in the dining room. She watched as their guests started to make their way into the room where her mother's homemade lasagne and a salad had been set out in the middle of the table. Holding onto Jack's hand, she watched as her father turned to take his seat at the head of the table.

She still couldn't believe the change that had occurred in only a few weeks. With the support of her mother and Jack, she had slowly started to be more honest with her father about her feelings. She'd opened up to him about the pressure she felt to be the perfect daughter and how it had affected her. Initially, he had been shocked and had expressed that he realised he was tough, but hadn't been aware of how it had impacted on her and the loneliness she had felt growing up. In order to move forward, he had offered her a deal. He had promised to try and lighten up on her in exchange for her continuing to be more open with her feelings.

"Elsa, are you going to be sitting down, or would you prefer to stand?" her father joked.

Blushing, she shook her head as she realised she'd been staring into space. Carefully, she took her seat at the table between Jack and his sister, Emily. She glanced up and watched as Anna took a seat next to Jack's cousin, Thia. Her eyes settled on her parents at their normal spot at the head of the table and Jack's aunt, Clara, and uncle, Nick, who had taken the seat opposite her parents.

"I hope you all like lasagne," her mum said, smiling as she gestured to the dish. "I'm afraid, Clara, that it is still my best recipe. I never could cook as well as you."

"Lillian, unless you have changed the recipe, then I'd say that we will love it. Your lasagne was always superb. It was always better than anything you could buy in a store," Clara praised as she heaped a serving of salad onto her plate.

She felt a squeeze on her leg and looked down to watch as Jack settled his hand on her leg. Catching his gaze, he nodded his head in the direction of their families and smiled.

"Jack, stop touching Elsa's leg!" Emily teased, pointing her finger at her brother.

She felt her cheeks heating up as all eyes turned to face her and Jack. Beside her, Jack coughed and promptly removed his hand from her thigh before placing it on the table.

"You tell him, Emily. He was doing it all last week when he came for dinner," Anna chimed in, winking at the younger girl. "Even Kristoff noticed it and he usually is oblivious to those sort of things!"

"What is this, pick on Jack night or something?" Jack chuckled, holding his hands up in defeat.

"Jackson," North began. "It is part of the younger sibling's job description to embarrass the older sibling. Especially when in the presence of their girlfriend, or their girlfriend's parents. Am I right, Walt?"

Her father chuckled and turned to face Jack with a stern look on his face. "Your uncle is right, boy," he stated, wagging his finger. "Don't think that I didn't notice your hand on my daughter's leg last week either."

She blushed as the sound of loud laughter erupted from the table. Beside her, she heard Jack sputtering before turning his attention to his plate of food. Still, she couldn't complain. Her father had been trying to accept Jack. In light of the new information, he had eased up on her punishment and had allowed her to spend more time with Jack on the condition that her and Jack remained honest about their whereabouts.

* * *

Walt Blanchard watched as his daughters cleared away the last of the dirty plates from the dining room table. Clearing his throat, he stood to his feet and invited their guests to follow him into the lounge room.

Taking his usual spot on the recliner, he watched as Nick North, his wife and their family took a seat on the lounge. A few seconds later they were joined by his wife, Lillian, who came in carrying a plate of cookies to place on the coffee table. Last to join them was Anna, Elsa and Jack who took a seat on the smaller couch. He waited patiently for his daughter's to settle and watched as Jack took his seat next to Elsa before draping his arm around her waist and pulling her close to him.

Truth be told, it was taking him a while to get used to the idea of his eldest daughter being in a relationship. Elsa had always been so fiercely independent and was far less prone to romantic whims than her younger sister. Still, if he had learned anything over the last seven months, it had been that he didn't really know his daughter as well as he had hoped.

Catching her in bed with Jack had shocked him. He had been beyond furious. He had been unable to believe that his daughter had not only been lying to him, but that she had done so in order to spend time with a boy whom he deemed highly irresponsible. The fact that Jack was related to someone whom he had a rivalry with had also angered him. He had reacted in anger and had set about grounding Elsa and had forced her to work more hours as a way of keeping an eye on her. He had tried to demand they end the relationship, but it had not worked. Instead, the boy and his daughter had refused to break up. Jack had even dared to send Elsa flowers at work for their anniversary. However, the news of her relationship with Jack had paled in comparison to the information that he had received four weeks ago.

When Elsa had presented him with the video of Edward 'Pitch' Black and his nephew, Hans, it had left him speechless. He had been hit with a wave of emotion; anger, grief, confusion and humiliation. While they had not had all the answers, it had become evident that everything he had thought he knew, for over two decades, had been wrong. He had lost his first business and his best friend thanks to the actions of a petty man from their past. Not only that, but his daughters, his sweet, caring and innocent daughters had both been hurt and used as pawns in a plot to bring him down.

In the weeks since he had seen the video, he had spent more time trying to talk with Elsa. It had become evident to him how fractured their relationship was. Everything he had thought he knew, had been wrong and he had inadvertently hurt her. He hadn't realised just how badly he had hurt her until she had come clean and admitted that she felt she had to be perfect in order for him to love her.

As a result, he had insisted on rebuilding his relationship with his eldest. He had started to insist on spending at least one lunch break together with Elsa at work. Together, they had made a rule to turn off all phones, close the door and to ignore all work related topics and has focused on sharing conversations and jokes. It was early days, but his wife had urged him to continue and had claimed that it was a positive decision.

"Walt," Lillian called, snapping him from his thoughts. "Are you going to tell us how the meeting with Edward and the lawyers went?"

Gulping, he sat up and caught North's eye. "Well," he began, turning to face the room. "It turns out that it's true. Pitch stole the money from us. It was his fault."

Together, him and Nick took turns to fill their families in on the news that had been discovered. How Edward 'Pitch' Black had always been jealous of the two of them. How his jealousy had started when they were just the young sons of migrant workers who worked in his father's business. How he had failed to build a career as a baseball player and had squandered his family's wealth on gambling debts before being disowned and finding work in the bank where North had lodged their rent and bills.

"He always was a proud boy," Nick pointed out. "He always believed that his family's wealth and name made him better than others."

Anna snorted. "Oh yeah, he is definitely Hans' uncle. Hans is full of himself as well."

He waited for the room to fall silent again before continuing. Slowly, he filled his family and their guest in on how Pitch had confessed to stealing the money and had even filled them in on how he had avoided the security cameras.

"What about Hans?" Jack asked, his gaze flicking between North and Walt as he tightened his grip on Elsa. "I mean, the guy isn't innocent. He threatened Elsa twice, slapped her, bashed me twice and wrote disgusting things about Anna. He better not get away with it."

Walt nodded. "He's not out of trouble," he began. "In fact, his uncle was only too happy to sell his nephew out. Apparently, Hans hired a hacker to hack into the university computer system - the same hacker that he intended to hire to hack into our own computer system. That was how he was able to figure out your and Elsa's timetables in order to follow you and take those photo's."

"Wait, so Pitch sold his own nephew out?" Anna gasped. "What does this mean?"

"It means, that Pitch was willing to confess all in the hope that we would settle without this going to trial. We spent the rest of the afternoon at your university with our lawyer and a copy of the confession as well as the screenshots of the slander that Hans wrote about you, Anna," he explained. "Needless to say, the dean wasn't happy. There will be an investigation into Hans' behaviour. If we are lucky, he will be just as ruthless as his uncle and will reveal the name of his hacker friend as well as the thugs he hired to bash Jack."

Letting out a deep breath, he settled back on his chair. His wife stood from her stair and moved to kneel beside him. Sighing, he reached to grip her hand and gave it a light squeeze.

"So will Pitch be punished?" Thia asked, looking between her father and Walt.

"He will," North chimed in. "He's being charged with embezzlement which resulted in loss of livelihood. He's been sentenced to a minimum of 10 years jail."

Gulping, he watched as the room broke into a low chatter with people reacting to the news. Turning to face his wife, she nodded and gave him an encouraging smile.

Slowly, he stood up. He could feel his palms sweating. In the business world, he was not known for being nervous. His years of hard work and success had given him a certain level of confidence. However, with all eyes on him, he found himself losing his confidence at an alarming rate. Still, he knew that he had to continue with his plan. One of the lessons that he had tried to pass on to his daughters was to face up to their mistakes. Something that he had to do as well.

"Ahem," he coughed, calling attention to himself. "I'd like to say something."

He paused and waited for the chatter to stop and for all eyes to fall on him.

Taking a deep breath, he began. "I owe a few apologies," he admitted. "For over two decades I wrongfully blamed Nick, my supposed best friend, for the downfall of our business. I was so consumed with anger and the disappointment that I felt in watching our business fail that I took it out on the wrong person. I lost my best friend - "

"Walt," North interrupted. "It wasn't your fault. I don't blame you. Pitch, he played us both. If the roles were reversed then I'd likely have believed you had done it as well."

Walt nodded. "Still," he continued. "That doesn't make it right, North. I was a complete jerk. No, I was an asshole. I said such awful things to you, about you. I truly believed you'd betrayed me. Yet, I was the one who betrayed you. I should have trusted you, my friend. I'm sorry and I can only hope that in time you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

He watched as the room fell silent.

"Walter," North's voice boomed as he stood to his feet. "Of course, I can forgive you. There was pain, hurt and anger on both sides, but it is water under the bridge. I would like nothing more than to work on rebuilding our lost friendship. It may take time, but the good news is that I have plenty of time to spare."

Grinning, he watched as North crossed the room to face him. Sticking out his hand, he went to shake his friends hand, but was pulled into a firm hug instead. "You always were a hugger, Nick," he chuckled. "Always."

* * *

Elsa felt her eyes widening as she watched her normally confident father lose his nerve. She couldn't help feel proud of him for having apologised to Jack's uncle. She knew that he was a proud man and was not used to being wrong, or having to own up to mistakes. For him to have publicly apologised was a big deal.

She felt Jack nudge her. Turning to face him, she noticed the sparkle in his blue eyes and smiled at him. Reaching over, she grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Elsa, Jack," her father called. "I'm not finished yet."

Pausing, she turned to face him. She bit her lip as she waited for him to continue. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Jack leaning forward as he turned his attention to her father.

"I owe both of you an apology," her father began. "Elsa, for so long I pushed you. I mistook your silence for acceptance. Stupidly, I let my arrogance take over and told myself that you were happy. I saw things in you, certain traits that you share with me and assumed that I knew what was best for you. I treated you different than how I treated Anna. My behaviour nearly cost me greatly. For that I am sorry. I need you to know that I am so, so proud of you."

She nodded. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and blinked. She felt Jack's hand as it moved to her back and began to rub soothing circles.

"Jackson," her father continued. "I owe you an apology as well. I judged you simply because of who your uncle was. I convinced myself that you were a no-good thug, lazy and disinterested. When I found out about your relationship with my daughter I was furious. If I could have had you arrested, I would have. However, with all that has happened and under the begging of my daughter's and even my wife, I have tried to give you a chance...and I have to say that I'm glad I finally decided to listen."

Gasping, she felt as Jack's hand dropped from her back. She turned to face him, watching as he sat blinking in the direction of her father.

"As I was saying," her father continued, winking at her. "In the last few weeks I have started to get to know you. I can see that not only are your feelings genuine and you truly love my daughter, but that you are a good man. Now, I'll be honest and will say the fact that you and Elsa lied about your relationship for so long still doesn't sit well with me. However, I can also understand why you did it. I believe that you have both paid your dues for lying. I would also like to thank you for standing up for my daughters, both of my daughters. I know that you and Elsa initially had your own disagreements and for you to stand up for both her and Anna is honourable and I respect that."

Springing to her feet, she made her way across the room and wrapped her arms around her father. She felt him stiffen slightly before his arms relaxed and reached around to return the hug. "Thank you," she murmured.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to face Jack as he turned to shake her father's hand. Taking a step back, she watched as her father and boyfriend shook hands before breaking apart.

Beaming, she stepped closer to Jack and buried her face in the crook of his neck as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Shifting her head, she caught Anna and Thia sitting on the couch grinning widely at her.

"Just so you know," her father broke in. "It is going to take me a while to get used to this relationship. This situation, as you are aware, is unique. However, I believe if we maintain the level of honesty that we've had over the last four weeks that things will work out well."

She nodded and shifted in Jack's arms to face her dad. "We understand," she said. "As I said earlier, we are sorry for lying. I know that it has been a shock for you."

"So, does this mean I can still see your daughter?" Jack asked, tightening his grip on her and resting his head on her shoulder.

Her father nodded. "Yes. It means that I have no objections to you dating each other. However, I would like it if you, Jack, could spend more time here so that I can continue to get to know you some more," he added.

"Oh great. I should probably invest in earplugs if Jack's allowed here. I don't need to hear my sister and her boyfriend at night," Anna groaned, poking her tongue out.

Blushing, she buried her head in her hands.

"That's another thing," her father continued. "When I say that Jack can spend more time here, I mean that he comes for a few hours and goes home at the end of the night. Same for you spending the night at Jack's house, Elsa. If you want me to give your relationship a chance, you have to work with me a bit."

* * *

Jack grinned as he pulled Elsa into his arms while he leaned against the side his car.

His family had returned home a few minutes earlier after sharing in a bottle of wine with the Blanchard's to celebrate the end of Pitch's evil plan. He knew that their two families had a way to go in order to rebuild the broken relationship, but tonight had created an openness and had marked the beginning of their healing. The pain that had existed had been acknowledged with vows made to work together and to move forward.

He had seen a different side of Walt Blanchard. The man had been forced to give up his normal confidence and to admit his mistakes and his wrongdoings.

"So," he whispered, stroking Elsa's face. "Quite a night, hey?"

Elsa laughed and tightened her grip on his neck as she stepped closer. "You could say that," she agreed. "You were right though, about things getting better."

Smirking, he leaned down to press a kiss to her lips. His arms moved to tighten their hold on her, keeping her safe and secure. He felt one of her hands move to brush through his hair as she returned the kiss.

Breaking the kiss, he looked at her. His thumb moved to wipe away the dried tears on her face. "I'm nearly always right," he boasted.

Elsa groaned and buried her head on his shoulder. "You're cocky," she teased. "That is what you are, but I love you and I'd not ever change you."

Smiling, he moved his hand to cup her chin and tilted her head to look at him. "I love you too."

* * *

**A/N- Whew, so this was quite a chapter. Slowly winding down, there are 2 more chapters to go, and then chapter 30 is the very last one, the epilogue. For those who are wondering, yes Hans will be punished. We will find out what happens to him soon. **

**Thanks as always for reviewing, and your support. **


	28. Chapter 28

Elsa smiled and settled herself into the armchair while she waited for Jack to arrive. Her eyes remained trained on the front window, keeping an eye out for his car.

Two months had passed since her father and Nick North had met with their lawyers and Edward 'Pitch' Black. The man responsible for their first business failing was now locked behind bars at a local jail for a minimum of ten years.

News had travelled quickly through the Arendelle business community and it was now known that the real reason behind the collapse of Walt Blanchard and Nicholas North's joint business, had been discovered. Along with the news breaking publicly had come the rumours. Her father had been quick to send out a memo to all staff to remind them that they were forbidden to speak to the media on the subject. He had asked that all media questions be forwarded to either himself or Nick North.

For the most part, the rumours had been fairly tame. Although, a few of the nastier ones had dared suggest that both Clara North and Lillian Blanchard had at one time been involved in an affair with Pitch. One rumour even went so far to claim that the petite Thia North was actually the love-child of Clara and Pitch. Luckily, Nick had shrugged off the rumour and had told anyone who would listen that while his daughter may be petite, the temper she could display was a North family trait.

The other big story amidst the revelation had been that of her and Jack's relationship. News had spread about how they had fallen for each other and had begun a secret relationship which had been discovered, leading to further tension, and had only settled when news of Pitch's crime had come to light. She had soon grown tired of the women she worked with stopping her to comment on how romantic her and Jack's nine-month relationship was. She had started to point out that while she loved and cherished Jack, she would not ever wish a secret relationship on anyone.

"So where's Jackson taking you today?" her father asked as he walked into the lounge room and settled himself into his recliner.

"Shopping," she replied, smiling at her father. "We're going looking for a present for his sister's birthday. After that we may meet up with friends. We may end up going to see a movie. Are you sure that you don't mind me not working today?"

Her father shook his head and smiled at her. "No, that's fine, Elsa. You've worked hard this week with your studies and in the office. You have earned your break."

She nodded. It was still taking some time to get used to her father's new attitude. He had slowly begun to relax his control over her and had allowed her to spend most of the weekend free from work. His only request was that she spent some of the time dedicated to her studies.

Shaking her head, she continued to study her father. She watched as his brow furrowed while he read over the daily paper.

Their relationship had finally started to improve with the walls that had been built between them beginning to crumble. He no longer felt like a controlling stranger, more boss than father. Now he was someone she felt comfortable talking with. He had even allowed her to make changes to the way she ran her private Facebook page. She had been allowed to de-friend the business associates of his and had made it a purely personal page with the usual posts about life, love and everything in between. Her secret page had since been deleted with Jack, Lana, Fred, Jamie, Thia and Emily all sending her friend requests on her main page. A photo of her and Jack had been posted as her profile photo and her information proudly declared their relationship to all her friends.

The sound of Jack's car pulling up the driveway snapped her from her thoughts. Grinning, she peeked out the window and watched as he switched off the motor before exiting his car and making his way to the front door. She waited for him to ring the doorbell before getting to her feet to let him in.

"Hey," Jack greeted, stepping inside the house. "Is your dad home? I've got his book to return to him."

"He's in the lounge," she replied, leading Jack into the large room.

"Jackson," Walt remarked, closing the last page of the paper. "How are you?"

"Pretty good, Mr Blanchard," Jack replied, pulling the book out from under his arm. "My uncle sent your book back and said to thank you for loaning it to him. He really enjoyed it."

Walt nodded, getting to his feet and taking the book from Jack. "Tell him it was my pleasure. I thought he'd like it," he began. "Say, do you know if your uncle will be around tomorrow? I know that Lillian has plans with Clara- something about going to the ballet and I was thinking about seeing if North wanted to catch up for a round of golf. May as well make use of the golf course before winter comes."

"I think so," Jack answered, scratching the back of his neck. "If he's got plans he hasn't said anything. That said, it's probably best to just ring him."

Elsa grabbed her handbag, slinging it over her shoulder before turning back to Jack. Her eyes flicking between him and the clock.

"You're probably right. I'll give him a call now," Walt said. "I'll let you two get going. Have a good day. Remember to call if your plans change and you plan to be out longer than expected."

Nodding, Elsa grabbed Jack's hand, slowly pulling him towards the door. "We will, see you later, Dad," she called.

"Elsa, don't forget to talk to Jack about that thing we discussed," Walt called as he made his way into the kitchen.

* * *

Jack laughed as Elsa pulled him away from her house with a determined look on her face. She slowed down only when she reached the locked passenger door of his car.

Pausing, he pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms around her waist as he brought her to rest against his chest. The familiar scent of her perfume lingered as he leaned in for a kiss.

"You're eager to get away," he observed, placing a soft kiss on her lips. "I thought things were going well with your dad?"

Elsa sighed and pulled out of his grip while he reached to pull out the key and unlock the door. "They are going well. It's just, if we don't leave now we'll never get away," she explained sliding into the car seat.

He nodded. Carefully, he shut the door after her and ran to the driver's side.

Climbing behind the wheel, he buckled his belt and put the key in the ignition. "So, what is it that your dad wants you to discuss with me?" he asked as he pulled the car onto the road.

Glancing at Elsa, he watched as a light blush crossed her cheeks. Biting her lip, she leaned back against her seat. "Oh...err...he..uh," she stammered, bowing her head.

Frowning, he reached over to squeeze her leg. "He what, El?" he asked. "What is it?"

Blushing, Elsa turned to face him. "He wanted me to tell you that he's talked it over with Mum and if you want to, he is happy for you to stay the night at our house from time to time," she whispered.

His eyes widened as the realisation of the words that Elsa had just said hit him. Looking at her, he chuckled as a deep blush crossed her face. She let out a small squeak and turned her head, hiding her face while she focused her attention out the window.

"Really?" he asked. "He's okay with the idea of me spending the night at your house, in your room. He's okay with me sleeping in your bed with you and maybe even kissing you while I lie in your bed, behind a closed door?"

"Jack!"

Chuckling, he turned his head and watched as Elsa turned to roll her eyes at him.

"He said that if you want to spend the night, or if I wanted to spend the night at your house that it is okay. Just so long as he knows that you're at mine, or that I'm at yours. That's all he said. Other than that, he's trusting me to make smart, responsible decisions," she added.

He grinned. "That's okay, tell him that I appreciate it. We may as well invest in those ear plugs for Anna though. You know that you find me irresistible, don't even try and deny it," he smirked.

He stifled a laugh, watching as Elsa let out a loud groan before reaching to check her phone. Shaking his head, he slowed the car down and pulled into the mall parking lot. Walt Blanchard's permission for him to spend the night was a big deal. It was the ultimate sign that Elsa's father had finally come to accept and approve of their relationship.

Gone were the days where their relationship was a secret and hidden from their warring families. In the past twelve weeks, the North and Blanchard families had spent an increasing amount of time together as they rebuilt their friendship. Jack had been able to enjoy more time spent at Elsa's home, joining her family for dinner or spending a cozy night on the couch with her along with her sister, Anna, and her boyfriend, Kristoff.

* * *

Elsa laughed, watching as Jack collapsed in an exhausted heap onto a chair in the mall food court. The tray holding their lunch was balanced on the table. Carefully, she placed the shopping bags at her feet and took a seat on the chair opposite him.

"I swear, every year it gets harder and harder to buy a present for Emily," Jack grumbled, taking a sip from his drink. "I miss the days when I could get her the latest Disney princess doll and know that she would be happy with it. Now it's all about clothes, perfume or crappy boybands. Do you know that she actually asked me for an iPad?! She has her own laptop, plus there is the desktop computer at home. She does NOT need an iPad"

She giggled. "Jack, it's okay," she said, shaking her head. "We've got her something that she wants. She was saying the other day that she loves this perfume and it was a good price too. Now all we need to do is get her the jacket that she is after and we've got her present sorted.

Jack groaned. "How do you even know where to find this jacket?" he asked. "I don't even recall her saying anything about a jacket, let alone where to find it."

"Simple. She posted a link to it on Facebook the other night with the statement saying that she must have it. I clicked the link, you can get it at Target," she explained.

Pulling her phone out, she logged onto Facebook and scrolled through until she found the link on Emily's wall before handing the phone to Jack for him to read.

Jack furrowed his brows while he leaned in to read the post before handing the phone back to her. "Have I told you lately, how amazing you are?" he murmured. "There is no way in hell that I'd have noticed this."

"That, my dear, is why you have me," Elsa quipped, leaning over to steal a fry from his tray. "I pay attention to these things."

She watched as Jack stood to his feet. Reaching down, he gathered their empty food containers into a neat pile before moving to empty the rubbish into a nearby bin. Pushing her chair back, she reached for his hand. Together, they walked towards the nearby Target.

Fortunately, it didn't take them long to find the desired jacket. After walking into Target, they had spotted the newly arrived clothes on display on a rack at the front of the store. A quick phone call to Jack's aunt and they had been able to find out what size clothing Emily wore. After some consideration, they had decided to purchase the size bigger than Emily's normal size, which would allow her to grow into the jacket.

Carefully, she folded the jacket into the basket and led Jack towards the checkout. She waited while he handed over his card to purchase the jacket before he reached to grip her hand and pull her out of the store.

"It's finished! That's it, no more presents for her," Jack groaned.

Smirking, she turned to face him. Opening her mouth, she was about to point out that he had survived a morning shopping when the sound of his phone ringing cut her off. Sighing, she pulled him to the side and out of the way of fellow shoppers while he took the call.

"Hang on, I'll ask El," he said, lowering the phone.

Tilting her head, she looked at him. "Ask me what?" she repeated.

"Jamie is on the phone. He wants to know if we want to go around to his house for a pizza and movie night tonight with Fred and Lana," Jack explained.

She smiled and nodded her head. "Sounds good to me. If we head home now then I can shower. We can stop at your house on the way home to grab your books and can go over some of Weselton's assignment before heading out again," she stated.

She waited as Jack returned to the call to let Jamie know that they would see him later in the afternoon. Hanging up the phone, he turned to face her.

"Homework, Elsa? You want to spend your time with me doing homework?" he muttered, reaching for her hand. "I can think of a lot better things that we could spend our time doing."

Rolling her eyes, she leaned in and pecked his cheek. "Has to be done, Jack. Besides, we've only got another 7 months left until we've finished with uni forever."

* * *

Jack felt his body relax as he leaned against the couch. Reaching out, he pulled Elsa to rest between his legs with her back pressed against his chest. He rested his head on her shoulder and ran his fingers through her long hair while they sat with their friends.

"So, you never told us what ended up happening with Hans," Lana said, breaking the silence. "I mean, the rumours are flying around the uni, but it's hard to know what's true."

He groaned. He could feel Elsa's body stiffen as the memories of the pain that they had suffered because of Hans came flooding back. Tightening his grip on her, he leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"The truth is that he's a douche," he grunted. "He's a douche and got what he deserved."

"Yeah, but what exactly happened to him?" Fred interrupted. "As Lana said, the rumours are flying. He's not been seen around uni for two weeks."

He let out a sigh. Reaching down, he gripped Elsa's hand. "Well, here is the truth as we know it," he began.

Tightening his grip on Elsa's hand, he told their friends how the dean of the university had opened an investigation into Hans' behaviour. A team from the university's I.T department had investigated the Facebook page where the slander about Anna had been posted. They had been able to find a few other posts from Hans which slandered other girls. From there, the university counsellors had sent out messages to the other girls who had been vilified by Hans on the website.

"You mean there were more?" Lana gasped, her eyes widening. "How many girls did he do this to?"

He nodded. "Hans named another three girls on the website, although, those girls were able to put the counsellors in contact with another two girls who had been harassed by Hans prior to the Facebook page being set up. In total, there were six girls, including Anna that have been sexually harassed by him. Anna was one of the lucky ones in that she didn't go further than kissing him. The other girls hadn't felt as confident to refuse him."

"What an ass," Fred grunted, reaching over to wrap a protective arm around Lana. "What about the attack on you? He did organise for you to be beaten on university ground and he stalked you both and assaulted Elsa."

Taking a deep breath, he continued. He filled their friends in on how the statements from the five girls and Anna had landed Hans in trouble. Security footage had since been found showing the fight that had occurred on university ground. The cameras had even managed to pick up when Hans had dug into his pocket to pay the two thugs for their help. When pressed, Hans had been only too happy to name the thugs that he'd hired along with the student who had helped him hack into the university computer system.

"Shit! That is quite a rap sheet," Jamie exclaimed, settling the pizza's down in the centre of the room. "You can't tell me he's gotten away with this?"

Jack shook his head, reaching around to grab a slice of pizza. "He hasn't. He has been kicked out of uni," he grinned.

"Kicked out, as in he can never come back?" Lana asked.

"Yep. He has been banned from ever returning to Arendelle university. All the years of study have led to nothing. He's also been handed over to the police who want to investigate the sexual harassment charges even further," Jack began. "To add insult to injury, his family are furious. His grandfather has threatened to cut him out of the will and is claiming that him and his uncle have made a mockery of their family."

He watched as their friends let out a loud whoop and punched the air in celebration. Grinning, he reached out to high-five Jamie. He felt Elsa shuffle as she pulled out of his grip and stood to her feet. Tilting his head, he looked at her and watched as she beckoned him to follow her.

Excusing himself, he got to his feet and followed her into the kitchen. Her arms wrapped around her tiny frame as she bit her lip. Reaching over, he gently gripped her chin and lifted her head to look at him.

"Hey, are you okay?" he whispered, reaching his arms out to pull her towards him.

She nodded. Slowly, she moved to wrap her arms around her neck before she stepped closer. "I just wanted to thank you," she whispered. "You've been my strength throughout the ordeal, Jack."

He sighed. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to her lips.

Pulling apart, he looked at her. His hand moved to stroke through her hair. "You're my strength too, El," he murmured. "I'm only as strong as I am because I have you to fight for. You're my everything."

He heard Elsa let out a content sigh as she snuggled in closer to him. Her arms tightened their hold on him. He moved his hands down to rest on the small of her back as he pressed her body into his. His eyes glanced down at her head where it rested on his shoulder and he sighed. So long as he lived, he would always fight for her, to keep her safe, happy and loved. She was his love, his dream and his reason to live.


	29. Chapter 29

**Seven Months Later **

A knock on her bedroom door woke Elsa from her sleep. Groaning, she stepped out of bed. Bending down, she retrieved her pyjamas from the floor and slipped them on.

A soft snore escaped from Jack's mouth. Stifling a laugh, she turned and pulled the covers over him before bending down to press a kiss to his forehead. She paused briefly to gaze upon his sleeping form. It amazed her how innocent and childlike he appeared while sleeping.

Creeping to the door, she pulled it open and stepped outside. "Anna," she whispered, pulling the door closed behind her. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Dad told me to wake you and Jack up. He said to let you know that the North's will be here for breakfast in ninety minutes," Anna replied.

"Oh, well I'll wake Jack up and hop in the shower," she yawned.

Gently, she pressed down on the door and slid back inside her room. The sight of Jack, still fast asleep, greeted her. Though, he had shifted slightly in his slip which had caused the sheets to slide down and revealed his toned chest. Sighing, she sat down on the bed beside him. Leaning down, she proceeded to press a series of short kisses to his lips.

"Hrmph," mumbled Jack, his eyes fluttering open. "I love it when you wake me up this way."

Grinning, she pulled back to look at him. His arms reached out for her, but she ducked out of reach. She chuckled slightly when he turned to pout at her. "We have to get dressed," she explained. "Your family is coming for breakfast in ninety minutes and I still need to shower."

"Ugh, remind me again why we're up early?" Jack mumbled, bending over to retrieve his pyjama pants.

"Graduation day, Jack. Come on, you get to wear a fancy gown, go on stage in front of all our friends and family and it will be the last time in your life that you will see Weselton," she teased, reaching out to smooth at his tousled bed hair

Jack smirked. Slowly, he pulled his t-shirt over his head. "True, you know I can't resist one last glimpse at Weaselton and his horrible toupee."

"That's the spirit. Plus, you know that you're going to get major credit for dating the valedictorian as well," she sassed, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips.

"Mmph," Jack moaned, breaking the kiss. "I knew that I kept you around for something."

Groaning, she rolled her eyes and excused herself to go shower.

Closing the bathroom door, she turned on the taps and stripped off her clothes before stepping under the water. From the other side of the door she could hear the sound of Jack as he stomped back to her room. He had tried, once again, to convince her to allow him to join her in the shower, but she had said no. Reaching over, she pulled out her shaver from the basket and slowly glided it over her legs as her mind wandered.

She still couldn't believe that she had done it. Years of hard work and hours spent bent over books and a glaring computer screen had all led to this day. Today, she was graduating with a Bachelor of Business Management with Honours.

The last few months had been gruelling. At times it had seemed like their professors had worked together to assign multiple assignments and expected them to be completed within hours of each other. The exams had been brutal. Her and Jack had spent most of their weeknights curled up together while they went over their notes. They had relied on her father and Nick North to quiz them at random times. Still, their efforts had paid off. Jack had achieved good marks and she had done well enough to be named the valedictorian.

Sighing, she shook her head and moved to turn the taps off. Stepping out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around her body and darted back to her bedroom to let Jack know that the shower was free. She watched as he dashed across the hall to take his shower.

Flinging open her wardrobe, she carefully pulled on the black pencil skirt and light blue blouse that she had chosen to wear for the day. She then pulled out the black slim fit suit that Jack had opted to wear and laid it on the bed behind her.

Glancing in the mirror, she pulled out her hair dryer and directed it over her long, platinum-blonde hair. Once her hair was dried, she carefully styled it into a braid. She had just pulled out her makeup bag when Jack slipped back into the room with a towel draped around his waist.

He crept up behind her and wrapped his arms around her before nuzzling his head into her neck. "You're beautiful. You don't need that gunk on your face," he murmured.

"Jack," she chided, gently pushing at his face. "You're dripping water on me. You need to get dressed."

She heard Jack let out a huff before he spun her around and leaned in to steal a kiss. Once satisfied, he released his hold of her and turned his attention to getting dressed. She shook her head and directed her attention to applying her makeup.

With her makeup applied, she turned to face Jack. She cocked an eyebrow as she watched his thin fingers work to skillfully fix his tie. "You scrub up well," she murmured, stepping forward to press a kiss to his lips.

* * *

Slowly, Jack made his way into the Blanchard family dining room. His eyes fell on his and Elsa's family along with Kristoff, Anna's boyfriend, who were seated around the table. A selection of pancakes with fresh fruit and syrup was placed in the middle of the table along with a pitcher of juice and a fresh pot of coffee.

"Here he is," Nick boomed, raising his glass of juice. "My smart nephew, the college graduate."

"Technically I'm not a graduate yet, North," he countered, taking a seat next to Elsa. "We're not considered graduates until we have that certificate in our hands."

He grabbed his plate and reached over to pile a pancake onto it before drowning it in syrup. Grabbing his mug, he filled it with coffee. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied Elsa as she carefully chewed on her own pancake.

"I still can't believe that our babies are graduating," Clara beamed, raising her head to smile at him. "Jackson, your mum would be so proud of you - graduating from one of the finest universities in the country and with a beautiful girlfriend by your side."

He felt the lump forming in his throat and swallowed. His mother hadn't been far from his mind recently. He had inadvertently thought of her as he'd dressed and had wished that she could be there, to see him at 22 graduating with the woman of his dreams on his arms.

He felt a squeeze on his leg and looked down to notice Elsa's hand. Gently, she applied one last squeeze to remind him that she was there, beside him, like she had been for the last sixteen months of their relationship.

"So, Jack, have you decided who you are going to play hockey for?" Walt asked, cutting into his pancake. "Now that you can no longer play for the uni team."

He nodded. "Actually, I have," he replied. "Kristoff was telling me last night that his friends team is in need of new players. I'm going to give them a call and talk to them. That said, I will miss the uni boys though."

"Don't worry, Frost, we will keep the team in good shape," Kristoff remarked. "Especially now that I've been made captain. I've got big plans on stealing the premiership from Brechin next season. It's about time we took the cup back."

He chuckled. He had to admire the younger boy's determination. He had managed to convince Kristoff to join the uni hockey team in time for the last season. The stocky young man had quickly proven himself to be a brilliant goalie and was well liked amongst the team. It had come as no surprise to Jack when Kristoff had been named captain for the following his season. His calm, level-headed attitude and gentle nature was an asset to the role.

"Tell you what," Walt began, shifting his eyes between Jack and Kristoff. "If Arendelle can beat Brechin in either hockey or baseball in the next season, I will take everyone at this table out for dinner to celebrate."

Jack grinned. "Sounds like a plan to me, Walt," he added. "Except, first I'd like to get through today."

* * *

Elsa could feel her palms getting sweaty as she watched the dean take to the stage in order to call their class onstage to collect their diplomas. As valedictorian, she had been invited to sit on the stage with the dean for the ceremony, but she had declined in favour of sitting with Jack and their friends. Once she had collected her diploma, she would take the seat on the stage in preparation for her speech.

Her eyes fell on the stage where the head of the business studies department took to the podium to announce the names of the graduating class. She could feel her heart pounding as names were called alphabetically. Beside her, Jack reached down to take her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. Lifting her hand, he pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles.

Finally, her name was called. Gulping, she stood to her feet. She watched as Jack tugged on her hand to smile at her and winked at him. Slowly, she made her way up the stage to shake hands with the dean and head of the department. She paused long enough for a photo to be taken before taking the seat that had been left free for her on the stage.

Looking out at the crowd, she tried to ignore the nerves she felt and to focus on her friends, family and Jack in the audience. Her family and Jack's family had opted to sit together and had taken up almost an entire row of seats. Her aunt, uncle and cousin, Rapunzel, along with her boyfriend, Flynn, had also made the trip in to watch her graduate. Stifling a laugh, she watched as Anna climbed onto Kristoff's lap before pointing her DSLR camera towards the stage and snapping away.

She heard Jack's name being called and turned to face him. She caught his gaze and watched as he focused his eyes on her. To the crowd, he appeared cool, composed and possibly slightly cocky, but she knew better. She saw the slight blush in his cheeks and knew that his rubbing his hand over the back of his head while he'd accepted the diploma was not cockiness, rather it was a nervous habit.

She could feel her nerves getting out of control as the last of their classmates took to the stage. Focusing her eyes on Jack, she waited for the dean to announce her as the valedictorian before inviting her to take the lectern.

Standing to her feet, she took a deep breath and pulled the cue cards that she had written earlier. Her eyes settled on Jack and she waited for him to nod at her. She spoke clearly and slowly, taking care to enunciate each word and ignored as Anna raced up the aisle to snap a series of photo's. She could feel her palms sweating, but ignored it as she finished her speech and brought the ceremony to a close.

* * *

Jack felt his heart bursting with pride as he watched Elsa carry on a conversation with the dean of the university.

After the ceremony, they had filed into a nearby hall to pose for photographs with the rest of the graduating class. As valedictorian, Elsa had been pulled aside for a series of exclusive shots with the dean and the head of the business department.

"Jackson," Walt said, coming to stand beside him as he fixed his gaze on Elsa. "How are you feeling?"

Gulping, he glanced at Elsa who was still deep in conversation with the dean. "Honestly, graduating was fine. It's tonight that I'm worried about," he admitted.

"You will be fine, my boy," Walt said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I am proud of both you and Elsa."

Blushing, he watched as Elsa excused herself from the dean and made her way towards him. "Thanks, Walt," he whispered.

Stepping forward, he pulled Elsa towards him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer while she settled her arms around his neck. "You were amazing," he murmured.

"You weren't too bad yourself," she whispered, smiling at him.

Grinning, he rested his head on hers. He pulled a face as he watched Anna dart around with her camera in hand to snap photo's of them.

"Elsaaa," Anna whined. "Tell your boyfriend to stop pulling faces."

"Tell him yourself," Elsa shot back. "I've done enough talking for today. I'm too tired. I just want to go home and sleep."

Smirking, he poked his tongue out at Anna and laughed as she rolled her eyes before stomping off to find Kristoff.

"I wish we could nap, but we have still got dinner to get through first," he whispered, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. "The good news is that tomorrow we both have the day off and can sleep in."

* * *

Elsa yawned. Slowly, she raised the travel mug of coffee that she had packed and took a sip.

She was struggling to keep her eyes open. If she had the choice, she would have stayed home, but her family and the North's had made other plans.

Instead, she had been sent home from the graduation ceremony and told to go wash up. She'd scrubbed her morning makeup off and had changed out of the clothes she had worn for the graduation.

Gone was her smart, business attire and in it's place was a nice aqua lace cocktail dress with capped sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. She'd left her long hair loose and curled the ends so that they framed her face. She had just spritzed on some perfume when Anna had barged in with her makeup kit and had demanded to do her make up. Begrudgingly, she had allowed her sister to do her face. Although, to her relief, Anna had managed to do it in a style that suited her.

Even Jack had been acting different. She had expected him to spend the entire day with her, but he hadn't. Instead, he had followed her home before kissing her goodbye and heading to his own home. He had only bothered to return to her house a few minutes before they climbed into the backseat of her father's Nissan Pathfinder.

Blinking, she shifted her head to look at her father. "Remind me again why we are headed to Brevik for dinner? There are plenty of nice restaurants here in Arendelle that we could have gone to," she reasoned. "You know, ones that don't require a ninety minute drive."

"It was Jack's idea," her father said, shrugging. "He said that it was special to the two of you. We thought it would be nice to go somewhere special for you and Jack, seeing as it is your graduation day. Besides, it's been years since your mum and I have been to Brevik."

She nodded. She felt Jack's arm wrap around her waist. Sighing, she shuffled closer to rest her head on his shoulder. Closing her eyes, the last thing she remembered was the feeling of Jack's lips as they pressed a kiss to her forehead.

* * *

"El," a voice called.

Blinking, Elsa opened her eyes to find Jack smiling down at her.

"Wake up, we're here," he whispered.

Yawning, she sat up. She turned to face Jack and noticed that he had unhooked both of their seat belts.

"How long was I out for?" she asked, blushing as she took Jack's hand and stepped out of the car.

"About 40 minutes. You snored though and drooled a little bit," Jack teased as he interlocked their fingers.

She felt the familiar heat of a blush creeping over her cheeks. "No!" she gasped, dropping Jack's hand to smooth at her hair and clothes.

"Relax, El, I'm only joking. You didn't snore, or drool and you look beautiful as always," he murmured.

She groaned and poked her tongue out at him. From behind her, she heard the loud voice of North as he announced their arrival. Blinking, she turned her head and realised that they had come to the restaurant where her and Jack had come on their first date. Her eyes glanced towards the lake where they had shared their first kiss and she smiled.

Reaching down, she grabbed his hand. He caught her gaze briefly and smiled at her before redirecting his attention to his uncle.

* * *

Jack watched as his and Elsa's family talked amicably around the large table. Their conversations were flowing easily, the result of several months spent together reconnecting.

His uncle had claimed that the experience which they had gone through had created a new bond between him and Walt. Their friendship was never going to be the same as it had been. The years of hurt and distrust had made that a certainty. However, the lessons they had learned over the years had combined with the base of their previous friendship and had formed the foundation upon which they had started to rebuild.

"Wait, so you guys are seriously considering combining the two businesses?" Elsa asked, taking a sip from her wine.

Blinking, he raised his head and focused his attention on the conversation that surrounded him.

"We have talked about it, yes," Walt confided, sharing a smile with North. "At the moment it is just a thought in the back of our heads. No guarantees though, we are still working on rebuilding our friendship. However, I do admit that there are certain things that Guardians, which if combined with Kingdom's could make for a formidable ice cream store chain."

North beamed and reached over to clink glasses with Walt. "I agree. There are ways that you, Walt, have run Kingdom that are brilliant. Some genius ideas on your part, my friend," he concluded.

Jack groaned as the two older men got into a lengthy business discussion. Glancing around, he noticed that the rest of their table had finished their desserts. Clara and Lillian were deep in discussion about a book they had read. Emily was playing a game on her phone and Thia and Anna were eagerly discussing the latest blockbuster movie while Kristoff did his best to appear interested.

Clearing his throat, he looked at the group. "I think another bottle of wine is in order," he said and signalled the waiter over.

Once the waiter had disappeared, he pushed his chair back and stood up. He turned to face the two families. "If you will excuse me, I need to talk to my girlfriend in private," he stated, ignoring the confused expression on Elsa's face.

Bending down, he extended his arm to Elsa and waited for her to link her arm through his. Straightening up, he caught Walt's gaze and smiled as the Blanchard patriarch gave him a nod.

Taking a deep breath, he led Elsa through the restaurant and out the front door.

"Jack, what's wrong?" Elsa asked. "Are you okay?"

"N...n..nothing," he stammered as he focused his eyes on the lake ahead of them.

He could feel his heart pounding as he led Elsa closer to their destination. He knew that the likelihood of finding the exact spot where they had shared their first kiss would be near impossible, but he was determined to get as close as possible, nonetheless.

Finally, he came to a halt. He pulled Elsa towards him in a secluded area and looked around. The only sound was coming from the leaves as they rustled in the mild summer night breeze. Gulping, he turned to face Elsa. Her blue eyes had focused on him with confusion and concern written on her face. His eyes swept over her appearance and he noted the way her hair fell upon her pale shoulders and curved towards her delicate face. Once again, she looked like a flawless angel.

Reaching into his pocket, his fingers curled around the small velvet box. He gripped onto it tightly as if the confidence he needed could somehow be transferred to him from the jewel inside. The small, gold diamond ring was simple, but held a far more sentimental value to him.

Originally, he had intended to purchase a new, more modern ring for Elsa. However, he had changed his plans after speaking to his sister. He had been filling Emily in on his search for the perfect ring, when she had enquired about the whereabouts of their mother's ring.

Curiosity had led him to approach his uncle, who had been delighted to assist him. He had clamped his large hand down on Jack's shoulder before he'd led him towards a small box. Opening the box, he had pulled out a collection of his deceased sister's jewellery. A few minutes was all it had taken for him to find the ring in question. His eyes had filled with tears when he had handed the ring to Jack. He had then told Jack that his mother would have been proud of him and would have loved the girl he intended to wear her ring.

"Jack, are you okay?" Elsa questioned.

Raising his head, he placed a finger to her lips to silence her. He watched as she furrowed her brow in confusion, but said nothing. His eyes caught her gaze and he silently pleaded with her to remain silent. He needed to say what he wanted to before his nerves got the better of him.

Stepping back, he took her hand in his. "Elsa, he began, focusing his eyes on her. "I love you. I've loved you for nine years now. You are my entire world. Everything I've ever done has been for you, to make you happy. The last sixteen months have been the happiest of my life. There is nothing that I wouldn't do for you. I live to protect you and cherish you. I want to be your everything. I want to be the first person you see in the morning and the last person you see at night. I want to spend the rest of our lives with you."

He watched as Elsa's eyes filled with tears. Bending down on one knee, he used his free hand to reach into his pocket and pulled out the box. Flicking the box open, he presented it to her. The sound of her gasp filled his ears.

Looking up at her, he caught her gaze and smiled. "Will you marry me?" he proposed

* * *

Elsa could feel the tears filling her eyes. Looking down, she caught sight of Jack on bended knee. His blue eyes were fixed on her while his silver-white hair lay tousled by the light breeze. Her eyes fell on the ring as she took in the solid gold band and the single round solitaire diamond.

"Yes," she cried, shaking her head. "Yes, I'll marry you."

She watched as Jack stood from the ground. Slowly he removed the ring from its box. He pulled her hand out and gently slid the ring over her finger before pressing a soft kiss to her hand.

"I love you," she cried.

Stepping forward, she wrapped her hands around her neck and leaned in to press a kiss to his lips. His arms reached around to hold her tight, pressing her closer to him. Slowly, she raised her hand to stroke at his cheek.

Breaking apart, she rested her head against his forehead.

"My mum's ring looks good on you," Jack whispered.

"This was your mum's?" she asked, lifting her hand to look at the ring.

"Was," Jack admitted, running his hand through his hair. "I hope you don't mind. It's just this ring means more to me than anything that I could purchase and you mean more to me than anything in the world. Mum would have loved you. She would want you to wear it."

She shook her head. "No. I love it, it's perfect."

* * *

Jack choked back the tears. Reaching down, he tightened his grip on his fiancee's hand as they made their way back to the table where their families were deep in conversation.

Clearing his throat, he waited for the chatter to die down. He twisted Elsa's hand so that the ring was hidden from view. Looking up, he waited for all eyes to focus on him and Elsa.

"Well" Anna broke in. "Are you going to let us know what happened?"

Grinning, he pulled Elsa closer to him and released her hand. He could feel his smile widening as he watched Elsa dangle her hand in front of her, drawing gasps from their families.

"I'd like you to meet the future Mrs Elsa Frost," he beamed, wrapping his arms around Elsa's waist.

The sound of cheers and congratulations filled his ears as their loved ones leapt to their feet to pull them into a series of hugs. He watched as Anna held back to pull out her camera and snapped away.

He felt Elsa being pulled from his side and into a teary hug by her mother and Anna. No sooner had she escaped her mother and sister's hug before his cousin, Thia and sister had grabbed her to pull her into a tight hug.

"Jackson," Walt said, clamping his hand on Jack's shoulder. "I guess now is the time for me to officially welcome you to the family."

Jack smirked, turning to face Walt. "Thanks _Dad_."

He chuckled and watched as Walt's face changed from shock to a wry grin as he contemplated his response. Opening his mouth and closing it again before pulling Jack into a hug. "Proud of you boy," he whispered. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to Elsa."

Shaking his head, his eyes fell on Elsa who had come to stand beside him and was watching the interaction between him and her father.

"No Walt," he protested, reaching out to pull Elsa towards him. "Elsa's the best thing that has ever happened to me."

* * *

**A/N- Ahhh...squeals. This is the second to last chapter. I can't believe this story is almost over. **

**Thank you all for reading, reviewing, following this story. Sharing in my own geeking out over this obsession/ love affair with Jelsa. **

**To the guest who asked- yes, Elsa's middle name is Kim after the incredibly talented and gorgeous Idina Kim Menzel. I'm so proud of the success she's enjoyed, and knowing that a new generation of fans have come to discover her thanks to her role in Frozen is just incredible :). **


	30. Chapter 30

**Epilogue- Six Years Later**

Elsa giggled and watched as her husband gently guided their son's arms so that they were clasped above his head. Once he had convinced the small boy to hold the pose, he dropped his arms, placing his hands securely around their son's waist.

"Okay, Lucas, remember, when Daddy says 'lift off' you're going to make a big whoosh noise," Jack coached, eyeing the small boy.

"Okay, Daddy," agreed Lucas, a wide smile appearing on his small face.

"Here goes," Jack said, slowly coming to a stand with his arms still holding onto his son's waist. "10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 and LIFT OFF!"

The sound of their son's laughter filled the air as he was lifted high above his father's head. She felt her heart bursting with love, watching as the two most important men in her life made their way around their living room. The two year old held securely above his father's head, giggling loudly.

"Woah, time to land back on earth," Jack said coming to stand in front of Elsa. "Daddy needs a hug."

Slowly, Jack lowered Lucas and placed him back on his own two feet before turning to face Elsa. A sly grin appeared on his face before his arms reached out and snaked around her waist as he attempted to lift her in the air.

"Jack!" she shrieked. "Put me down."

Pouting, he removed his arms from around her and moved to sit on the couch. Once settled, he reached his hand out and tugged her to sit on his lap.

"You're no fun," he teased, nuzzling his nose into the crook of her neck.

She gasped. Pulling back, she looked at him with a look of mock indignation on her face. "No fun?!" she sassed. "I'll show you, no fun."

Pouncing, she pushed him back so that he was lying on the couch whilst she straddled his waist.

"Lucas, come help Mummy," she ordered, reaching her arms out towards her son.

She grinned, watching as her son waddled towards her. His fine, silver-white hair made him the spitting image of his 28 year old father. He really was his father's son in every sense of the word, except for his eyes. He had her shade of blue eyes. It was those eyes that Jack claimed made him almost impossible to say no to.

Hoisting the small boy onto the couch, she placed him carefully in front of her. Leaning down, she whispered in his ear and watched as her husband's expression changed from confusion to panic.

"Ready, baby?" she asked, her hand reaching to stroke at her son's tousled hair.

"I don't know if I like where this is going," Jack gulped, his eyes darting between her and their son.

Elsa smirked, stretching her hands towards his neck. "Tickle fight!" she chuckled, softly tracing her fingers over Jack's neck and towards his exposed collarbone.

The sound of her husband's laughter filled the room. Pulling back, she watched as her son proceeded to lightly draw his small fingers along his father's arm, still unsure about what it was he was meant to be doing.

Climbing off Jack, she pulled her son into her arms. She gave him a cuddle while Jack composed himself and propped himself against the armrest of the couch. She shifted position to take the spot between Jack's legs, resting her back against his chest and pulled Lucas back onto her lap while Jack wrapped his arms tightly around her and their son.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" he murmured, tilting her head to press a kiss to her lips. "You and our gorgeous son."

She smiled, leaning her head on her husband's shoulder. "Only every day for the last seven years," she replied. "I never get tired of hearing it though."

* * *

Jack tightened his hold on his wife and son. His eyes fell on the various photo's which lined the walls of their living room. The photo's captured a lot of the momentous events in their life together, ranging from their first date, to their graduation, the night of their proposal and their wedding.

Taking pride of place was the series of photo's they had taken to commemorate when Elsa had fallen pregnant with Lucas. A series of progression shots of him holding his beautiful, pregnant wife in his arms as her belly grew, followed by the photo's of a newborn Lucas bundled in their arms.

It had been his idea to name their first born Lucas. The name was a nod to his deceased mother. It was the name she had intended to give his younger sister, had she been born a boy. He had been nervous when suggesting it to Elsa, but as always she had supported him and willingly agreed. The name turned out to fit their beloved boy perfectly.

"We should close the store more often," Elsa broke in, interrupting Jack from his train of thought.

"I'll suggest it at the next meeting. However, I don't think your sister is planning on getting married more than once. I'm fairly sure Kristoff is stuck with her for life," Jack grinned.

Elsa chuckled and tilted her head to look at him. "You know they've not even been married for 48 hours and already they've had their first fight?" she remarked. "Kristoff wanted to take Sven on their honeymoon and Anna wouldn't allow it."

Jack laughed. He could almost picture his new brother-in-law trying to convince his feisty new wife to allow him to take his beloved dog with them as they travelled up the coast for their honeymoon. Despite his stubborn nature, he knew that Kristoff would have caved. The man was nothing but putty when it came to Anna.

"What was our first fight as a married couple about, El? I can't remember," he asked, stroking her hair.

"I believe it had something to do with you wanting to hang your hockey poster in our bedroom in the apartment we rented before buying this place," Elsa pointed out, shaking her head. "There was no way I was going to have that tattered poster on the wall of our room."

He nodded at the memory. "That's right," he pointed out. "At least your dad was nice enough to let me frame it and hang it in the office at work."

"I still can't believe my own father sided with you," Elsa pouted.

"What can I say?" he teased. "Your dad loves me."

* * *

Elsa groaned and buried her head into her son's neck. "Daddy is being a tease," she coaxed, placing a soft kiss on the boy's neck. "Tell him to stop teasing Mummy."

"Oh no you don't," Jack cried, laughing softly. "Don't go using our son against me."

She stifled a laugh, noting the bewildered expression on Lucas' face as he turned to look at his parents.

She felt Jack lean down as he proceeded to place a series of kisses on her neck. Tilting her head, she stole a quick kiss before he broke the kiss to pull their son closer to him. Reaching around her, he placed a quick kiss on Lucas' forehead and settled back against the chair.

Looking around, her eyes fell to the photo on the coffee table which marked the day that Kingdom Ice Creamery and Guardians Ice Blast had ceased to exist. The same day that the two companies had merged to become Phoenix Ice Creamery.

The rebranding hand only commenced eight months earlier, but already the outlook was good. Slowly, but surely the remaining Guardian and Kingdom stores were being re-modelled and fitted out to match the new look of Phoenix Ice Creamery.

North and Walt had decided to keep the Kingdom headquarters and flagship store as the base for Phoenix, claiming it to be in a better location. They had been fortunate that the merger had gone well and had allowed them to keep a majority of their staff with only a few changes being made in the headquarters.

Her and Jack had been named managers of the flagship store and worked together to run the store. She had not long returned to work after having taken the first year of Lucas' life off to be a stay-at-home mum. Luck had been on their side when she had decided to return with both Clara and Lillian having retired and volunteering to take care of their beloved boy during the day.

It had been Clara North who had come up with the name Phoenix. She claimed that much like the mythological bird, Nick and Walt's initial business may have failed and there had been pain, but they had risen from the ashes and had come back stronger.

At the centre of it all, her and Jack had held together. They had fallen in love despite the odds and had brought their formerly feuding families back together. Filling the lives of their two families with love and laughter as they formed their own family.

She felt Jack's arms wrap tighter around her, pulling her and Lucas closer as he laid back against the couch. "I love you, Mrs Frost" he whispered. "Always and forever."

Smiling she tilted her head, her eyes finding Jack's. "I love you, Mr Frost," she vowed. "Always and forever."

_~The End~_

* * *

**A/N- A HUGE Thank you to everyone of you who has read, followed, reviewed and favourited this story. This was my first chaptered Jelsa story. My first fan-fiction and I can't have been more blown away with the support from you all. Your reviews have brought a smile to my face, encouraged me many times over the course of writing this story. **

**Special thanks to my fellow Jelsa fan-fiction author friends who have read, reviewed and allowed me to vent, and go over ideas with them. **

**To those who have asked, there will not be a sequel. I would like to end it with our OTP Jack and Elsa happy, in love and assumedly living a happy, healthy life of love with their families and their son. **

**However, I am currently writing another Jelsa fanfiction- Silent Voices, a deaf AU set in high school, and I have plans for more Jelsa chaptered stories as well as any Jelsa one shots which come to mind. My profile has links to my new Jelsa chaptered fic, or else you can find it linked on my tumblr account (same name as my fanfiction pen name). **

**Once again. Thank you all for reading, reviewing, following. **

**Special thanks to my good friend Oninoko (Go check her Jelsa fic's out) for the name Lucas. It was her idea for a Jelsa RP, I liked the name for a Jelsa son, and borrowed it (with her permission). **

**Keep Calm and Ship Jelsa 3 **


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